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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30072516">The Matryoshka Protocol</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/inthedarkestlight/pseuds/inthedarkestlight'>inthedarkestlight</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Golden Thread [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Forsythia Black, I got a beta omg!, M/M, POV Draco Malfoy, Slow Burn, Some Fluff, The Golden Thread, Vampires, mentions of wolfstar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:01:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>40,153</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30072516</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/inthedarkestlight/pseuds/inthedarkestlight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She was crying. He could feel it through her shoulders as she shook and gasped and begged. Instantly, he tucked himself away in doll after doll until he was comfortably unaware of what he was doing. That part of him that was authoritative took over and snapped back and forth with her until he found himself blinking out in the hallway, fresh tears tracking down his face as he did away with the curse on her doorknob.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>**a companion to Amantes Odi. Part 2 of The Golden Thread series**</p>
<p>____________________________________________________________________________________________________________</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Golden Thread [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2194956</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Seeing Her.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>“Picture the dolls, Draco. See them nesting one in the next over and over until you’re protected.” </p><p>“Yes, Father.” </p><p>“Can you feel the strength in the layers of wood?”</p><p>“I can.” </p><p>“Are you fully occluded?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Are you ready?”</p><p>Draco opened his eyes, taking in the cold evening light of the manor’s library. He could feel each layer surrounding his mind and nesting his true self down until it was unreachable even to himself. He’d take the time once his meeting with Voldemort was over to bring himself back up to the surface, but it was safer to keep the truth tucked safely away from the prying mind of The Dark Lord. </p><p>“I’m ready.” </p><p>He almost didn’t recognize his own voice, being safely nestled so deeply into himself. His father gave him a tight, proud smile, “Good. You are dismissed.” Draco took one last deep breath before he straightened his cloak and disapparated with a sharp crack. All that was left of him was a cold, hard outer shell. </p><p>The hard floor of Oak Grove slammed into his feet, and he pushed off from it as he walked through the first floor lobby. There were still remnants of what it had been before they took it over, elevators and telephones and even a vase set atop the high countered front desk that held long dead flowers. Draco ignored these things, and instead continued forward to the frosted glass door hiding the stairwell.  </p><p>  Blaise was waiting for him on the third floor, his Vampire sulking at his shoulder. Its eyes were blue again today, which made Draco relax some. When they were blue, the Vampire was in a less aggressive mood. If they were black, though...he pulled the nesting dolls tighter together. </p><p>“I’ve brought in something interesting,” Blaise drawled as they fell into step, the Vampire hanging back behind them a pace or two. There was a glimmer in his eyes that made Draco cock a curious eyebrow. </p><p>“Oh?” </p><p>“A female. The Dark Lord intends to gift her to you, among other things. It took several stunners before she fell, been out for a few hours at least-”</p><p>“You must show her you mean no harm right away. Lower your eyes from her or she will attack and go on the offensive.” </p><p>The smooth voice behind them made both Draco and Blaise pause, though they quickly hurried into an empty interrogation room before they were overheard. The Vampire looked agitated, his eyes flickering between the two of them before Draco gestured to continue. </p><p>“Females are aggressive, much more so than any men. I do not know this one, but she is strong and very young; she will be difficult to work with. There is not more I can give you than that, but to keep your eyes down.” </p><p>“Keep my eyes down? What, like I’m being shy?”</p><p>“She was brought in with weapons, Draco. A knife and a strange muggle contraption that kept making noises. I think you should take the advice if you’re meant to take her on.” </p><p>“Not shy,” the Vampire droned, “submissive. That you are no threat means she will not harm you. At least not outright. If you are to gain her trust you must prove yourself trustworthy.” </p><p>Draco wanted to groan, to run his hand down his face and maybe just go home. There was a beat of silence before Blaise hissed and jerked to look at his forearm.</p><p>“Ash, we need to go. Goyle’s calling us to start rounds.” </p><p>Draco watched as Blaise took the Vampire’s forearm in his fist and then he was alone again. He knew that Blaise would be called away; he’d been the one to schedule the new security rounds. Blaise and his Vampire would be out in London, hunting for the rest of the Vampires in the city if any remained. </p><p>It was Voldemort’s will to collect them all, to have them on hand for whatever he saw fit. Today it was using them for interrogations, tomorrow it could be to intimidate The Order into laying low. There had already been several raids on known Death Eater controlled facilities, and they couldn’t afford many more before they’d be taken over completely. </p><p>It was Potter. He was the one dropping hints to The Order on where to strike and how hard. Draco knew it, could feel it in his very being that each attack had been urged on by the bespeckled git. His jaw twinged as his teeth ground together. </p><p>There was a sharp stab of pain in his left forearm. He didn’t bother looking down while the stab heated to a scalding burn as he slipped out of the interrogation room and went back to the main stairs. Originally, he’d been planning on going the back way to where Voldemort had taken up, seeing as the smaller hallways smelled better, but now there was no time to do that. He’d have to take the main stairs, the main hall, and grin and bear it. </p><p>His face was a mask of calm disinterest as he made it down to the basement and into Voldemort’s chambers. The scent of decay was sweet, heavy, and warm like a thick blanket in the summer. </p><p>“Draco. So nice of you to join me.” </p><p>“My lord,” he said, bowing his head before straightening again. The shell around his mind hardened as Voldemort’s eyes fixed themselves to him. There was a breath, then the eyes drifted away again. </p><p>“It has been...<em> difficult </em>finding a worthy Vampire for you, no?” </p><p>The hair at the back of Draco’s neck prickled, but he swallowed the feeling down, “Yes, my lord.” </p><p>“A difficulty that will be no more. Zabini has brought in a female, so I hear. It was acquired mere hours ago, and it is my command that you utilize it.”</p><p>“Excellent. Thank you, my lord.”</p><p>“Along with the Vampire, Draco, I have more news,” he continued, drawling, “It seems that Rosier is...<em> ineffective </em>when it comes to managing and leading the Vampire Division as a whole. You have proven yourself both effective and qualified, so I am entrusting it to you.”</p><p>His heart thudded, a rush of cold and then warmth shivering through him before he was able to swallow down his anxiety and respond, “Thank you, my lord. I am glad to be of service.”  </p><p>“I knew you would be pleased. Go, you will need to begin the mastering charm with the utmost haste. Bring it to me once the charm is done, Draco. I believe it prudent to learn more about our new...guest.” </p><p>Draco bowed once more before he let himself leave the room, moving slightly faster than was actually necessary. The stink alone had started to crack through the outermost shell of his mind, and he needed to mend it before seeing what was waiting for him upstairs. In addition to wanting to get as many floors between himself and Voldemort, he was actually a little anxious to see this new female Vampire. </p><p>With the new promotion, as well, he’d need to send word to the rest of their crew that they’d had a change in leadership. Maybe that was already taken care of; he couldn’t be sure. Blaise <em> did </em>mention there would be something else in addition to the female. The thought of her made him go cold again. He’d need to see her sooner rather than later. </p><p>Several of the other Vampires had arrived in less than favorable condition, and if what Blaise and his said was true, he expected to find a rather disturbing sight. Since it sounded like she’d put up a fight, he imagined that she’d be a right mess. He expected it, braced himself for the worst and then doubled it. She’d surely be nearly destroyed, possibly on the verge of death by the time he made it to her. He would need to get the healer to her, possibly stun her already unconscious body just in case she woke up too soon and tried to kill somebody. </p><p>He expected this reaction from her. All the males that were brought had tried it and learned quickly that they wouldn’t be allowed to get away with such things, particularly not once the mastering charms settled into them. He gave a humorless snort as he swept down to the cell blocks, hands lazily pressed into his pockets and head tipped curiously to the side as he neared the last cell on the left, paying no attention to the other cells nor the eyes that stayed locked on him as he passed them. </p><p>Draco had expected her to be a wreck; bleeding, crying, dying. Unconscious, at the very least. He did not, however, expect to find a seemingly teenaged girl with a curtain of dark hair in ripped denim jeans faceplant onto the stone floor. Was she already moving around? Blaise had said it was only a few hours since they’d brought her in. </p><p>He was so stunned that she was moving and seemingly fine physically from what he could see that he asked, “Did you really just try to get up?” </p><p>The Vampire, if that was indeed what this girl was, froze. He watched her tip her head up and survey his boots, which he suddenly felt self-conscious for wearing. They were so- Death Eater of him. The embarrassment quickly flicked over to a sarcastic kind of arrogance as he stepped closer. </p><p>“It took several stunners to take you down and you’ve only been out for two hours. I’ll bet my nicest ring you won’t be able to stand for at least a day.”</p><p>His arrogance wavered as she managed to pick herself back up. A jolt went through him, the strength of which forced a scoff out of him. His heart thudded in his chest and it felt like every ounce of warmth was very quickly leaving him. Ash hadn’t been joking; she was stronger than any of them he’d ever seen. </p><p>Very quickly, he watched her stabilize herself and then reach instinctively for her outer thigh, like she was reaching for a weapon. Blaise hadn’t mentioned how scrawny the girl was, nor how headstrong. </p><p>“Your weapons have all been removed. Or is it still unclear that you have been captured?” </p><p>The Vampire met his eyes, the dull blue blazing with an intensity he’d only seen a fraction of in the men. She was standing, albeit hunched heavily forward, and Draco could practically see her hatred for him rolling off of her in waves. <em> Good, </em> he thought from somewhere deep within the nesting dolls, <em> hating me is good.  </em></p><p>To add to her clear disdain for him, Draco raised an unimpressed eyebrow, “Not able to speak? Not to worry. Now that you’re standing I’m sure you’ll start screeching or howling or whatever it is that you do that the Dark Lord thought was worth the trouble it took to bring <em> you </em> in.” </p><p>All she did was glower back at him, and he was surprised she didn’t hiss or snarl at him the way the men did. Perhaps she was less recovered than he originally estimated. Or, maybe she was addled from the stunning spells. He turned back to glance at her once more before he left, smirking at the thought of what she’d do in that moment if they weren’t separated by the enchanted silver bars. </p><p>Killing him would probably be her first idea, but when she skittered back from the bar at his sudden movement, he quickly left the cell block. It wasn’t that he cared too terribly much about whether or not she was afraid of him, at least not so soon. There was of course the issue of the contracts and the mastering charms, but he’d deal with that later. </p><p>Draco chewed his lower lip as he climbed up to the second floor, running through his physical assessment of her all the way. She’d seemed healthy enough, if not a bit underfed. That was something he could help with quite easily, so he didn’t worry much about it. There was the matter of her impish, stubborn attitude that they’d need to work on if she was to be believed, of course, but it was another thing that could wait. First and foremost, he needed to set the mastering charm and muzzle, then entertain the idea of doing as Blaise’s Vampire had advised; he’d need to show her he wasn’t a threat. </p><p>He held back a scoff as he trudged into the second floor lobby, conjuring a floating ball of light to follow him through the gloom. Despite the sun shining outside, it seemed as though none of its light was brave enough to enter Oak Grove. Instead, an ever present shadow dimmed the rooms. </p><p>Severus was already waiting for him in the back corner where he’d set up a makeshift potions lab. Cauldrons bubbled with fresh blood replenishing potions, rows and rows of blood samples waiting to be added to their own batches. As he approached, Severus barely lifted his head from where he was using his wand to stir two potions at once. </p><p>“A female, is it?” he asked. </p><p>“A very young one. Barely looks eighteen, maybe.” </p><p>“Your contract is just there,” Severus jerked his head to the side to indicate a scroll being weighed down by two bezoars at each end, “sign it with the black quill and the mastering charm will begin its work.” </p><p>“Her blood was already added?” </p><p>“While she was unconscious. Don’t tell me you're worried she might have been in pain.”</p><p>Draco scowled, already moving over to pick up the quill Severus mentioned. He signed his name, wrinkling his nose as there was a profoundly uncomfortable feeling of his blood flowing from his fingertips, through the quill, then onto the paper where it glimmered in the low light coming from somewhere over his shoulder. </p><p>“Did you recognize her?” Changing the subject was easier than trying to decipher how he felt about the Vampire. </p><p>“Perhaps. I wasn’t able to get a very good look and as far as I know she still hasn’t spoken. Have you gone to see her?” </p><p>“I just came from there. Not talking but she was able to stand.” </p><p>Severus was quiet a moment before he turned fully to face Draco for the first time since he’d arrived on the second floor, “During your time at Hogwarts, how much research did you do into Vampire covens?”</p><p>“Not more than you required for your fourteen inch long essay on them.” </p><p>“It would serve you well to do some. There are behaviors you’ll need to exhibit to her to gain her trust and the upper hand. Once the blood bond begins you will become weak to it and you’ll stay alive longer if you maintain yourself over her.” </p><p>Scowling deeper, Draco turned back to the contract and raised his wand, muttering, <em> “Dominium sanguis simul” </em>just under his breath as he completed the charm. It felt like a warm breeze ghosted over his face, and then his signature and the two drops of the Vampire’s blood shimmered and both turned black and sunk into the parchment. The contract was sealed. </p><p>“I’m meant to bring her to The Dark Lord. Will you be able to start supplying me with-.” Severus cut him off as he sharply pushed an already complete potion into Draco’s chest.</p><p>“It’s only seven drops of your blood, but that will be enough to begin the bond. Fully occlude yourself before you leave, your walls are weak.” </p><p>The former potions master went back to tending to the cauldrons without another word as Draco stashed the bottle in a pocket on the inside of his cloak. He’d give it to the Vampire once their meeting with The Dark Lord was done with. Considering she’d probably be the wreck he’d been expecting in the first place afterwards, she’d need to feed in order to heal properly from the visit. </p><p>He had to go across the building to where the muzzles were kept, then had to charm it using the mastering charm so it would activate. The runes over the front of it shimmered to life then burned themselves into the black dragonhide once the magic settled some. He could feel it buzzing under his fingers, waiting and wanting to discipline as it saw fit. Though he didn’t necessarily agree with the use of such a barbaric tool, there were no other options. It was the muzzle or she would have to stay in her cell at all times, and that certainly wouldn’t do. </p><p>When he made it back down to her, she’d been ready to attack. She’d backed herself into a corner of her cell and was poised to launch herself at him the moment she was able. Feeling only a little regretful, Draco petrified and then stunned her. It was easier to move her while she was unconscious, seeing as he highly doubted she’d walk with him willingly just yet. He also didn’t want to touch her if he could help it; she’d probably attack if he did. Before he levitated her out of the cell, he carefully set the mask over her mouth and nose, glad when it magically conformed to her face. With that in place, at least she wouldn’t be able to take a bite out of him. </p><p>He took her downstairs as he’d been ordered, and managed to keep himself under control until Voldemort used the cruciatus to bring the Vampire out of her stunned state. From that moment, Draco occluded himself further down. Doll after doll nested in until he was barely conscious of what he was doing. It was the only way to get through their meeting. There had been a jab in the pit of his stomach when one of his rings brushed her bare skin, but once he realized what he’d done, there was a crack in the outermost doll. <em> Keep it together </em>, he snapped at himself, carefully shifting his hand back up her sleeve before dropping back into himself. </p><p>The Dark Lord questioned her, and Draco could feel his mouth and body moving automatically to force her to respond to each question that was asked. He caught her first name, Forsythia, and did his best to keep her still. The last thing he wanted was to burn her with his rings again. Even if he didn’t really care, it seemed best to abide by the contracts and not physically harm her too much. Silver would scar, and he figured that counted as “permanent maiming” as was outlined in said contract. Silently, he cursed himself for even wearing them in the first place. </p><p>He nearly lost his grip on her when he looked down to find her staring up at him. Only, it wasn’t her blue eyes he met, but a deep, unsettling black that stretched past her iris and crowded the sclera, too. Feeling very glad he was able to anticipate her need for a potion after their meeting, Draco let himself puff up a little bit. He knew what he was doing, even though he didn’t really know what he was doing. </p><p>Under his hands, she was shaking as she rattled off answers to the questions The Dark Lord asked. Draco felt himself slip up further to the surface of his mind the longer they conversed until they were dismissed. It was too easy to drag her up to her feet and then crowd her out of the room until they were able to walk through the halls and away from the stench of the basement. Thinking of it, Draco wasn’t even sure what exactly it was that stank so badly; there weren’t bodies stored under the floorboards or anything. </p><p>He felt her stumble as they went up the stairs, he said nothing and did nothing to prevent it. She would have to toughen up if she was meant to be utilized for his current mission. </p><p>The interrogations had been something he was avoiding fully, always writing them off because he didn’t have an interrogation partner the way his subordinates did. He was a general, afterall. Interrogating was grunt work, but apparently his team was falling behind and he was expected to pick up their slack. </p><p>By the time they reached her cell, Draco was already getting a headache from planning out how to get everything caught up. He passed her inside before locking the bars of the cell back into place. As he went to turn away from her, he remembered the potion. Right as he was about to offer it to her, she spoke. Her voice was so soft, barely loud enough for him to hear her. </p><p>“Why am I here?”</p><p>Draco felt his insides run cold. How did she not know? Surely Vampires communicated with each other? </p><p>“To conduct interrogations.” That was the truth. Of course, it was too soon to tell her anything more than that and certainly this was not the right setting. They could easily be overheard, and that would ruin everything he and Severus had been working towards. He’d noticed his tone was a bit soft, so to compensate he asked sharply, “Did you think you were important enough for us to want you for some other reason?”</p><p>“What do you mean by ‘conduct interrogations’? I can’t..I can’t do anything.”</p><p>Her voice was faltering as she stammered, those black eyes locked on him as she watched his every move. Blaise’s Vampire told him to appear submissive to her, but that was certainly a risk he could not take being where they were. It would be too easy for somebody to see and misunderstand. He didn’t realize he’d shuffled forward until he felt the buzz of magic from the bars thrum outwards into him. </p><p>“You’re quite right. Not with that on half your face. Really the only part of your face that matters.” His tone was biting enough just in case somebody did come in to return their Vampire to one of the other cells. While it wasn’t his intention to necessarily be outright cruel to her, he still needed to keep appearances up. She barely looked eighteen, and her face twisted with agony as she nodded her agreement with him. What?</p><p>She was agreeing with him that she was useless? Draco forced his expression to remain impassive as he regarded her. All at once, like the movement of her head caused a chain reaction, she sagged sideways and slid down the wall of her cell until she collapsed on the floor. All the muscles in his legs tightened so he wouldn’t move. Just because she looked young didn’t mean he needed to take care of her. Sure, he was responsible for her in some sense, but it wasn’t his place to dote or fawn over her. Not that he wanted to, either. It felt like an automatic response, and he simply ignored it. </p><p>“What’s wrong with you? You just fed three days ago. Others..others like you have gone at least four without needing more.” </p><p>“I’d only had a drop or two before…” </p><p>Lord, she sounded awful. Not only that, but she hadn’t properly fed in days. There was a split second where he did feel some concern for her, but he quickly pulled the nesting dolls tighter around himself again before he showed any of it. Mentally, he shook himself again for feeling so anxious about her. They’d just met and again, it wasn’t his job to be worried about her. </p><p>He gave her several seconds to get herself together, and when she didn’t he became agitated, he decided that he’d have to go in to give her the potion. Surely, after being cursed so many times that was what she needed? Without many other options outside of taking her down to the healer, which may be a little overkill, Draco unlocked the cell and stepped inside. She didn’t move. </p><p>“If you try anything stupid you’ll regret it. Do you understand me?” He asked, keeping back until she gave him a weak nod of her ascension. Carefully, and after he shot a look back towards the main cell block hall, Draco lowered his eyes down to his shoes as he strode over to her. Keeping them down, he set the potion just within her reach before he straightened and stepped back out of the cell. He made sure it was locked before he cleared his throat awkwardly and said, “Drink that. You can take off the mask while you’re in here but you’ll be required to wear it when you exit for interrogations. If you refuse to put it back on then you’ll be ordered to. You can’t leave the cell without it, it won’t let you pass.”</p><p>He tried to be a bit softer with her, seeing as she hadn’t done a single thing to even try to defend herself as he’d approached her. Maybe she could sense his submission? It was a strange, backwards thing for him to do, but seeing as he was still unharmed and she was still a heap against the wall, it seemed to have worked. She stirred, and Draco insisted she drink the potion before he took himself back upstairs to Severus. </p><p>“Forsythia Black. That’s her name.” </p><p>There had been no polite ‘hello’s’ between him and Severus, and instead he’d simply apparated just next to him at the workbench. </p><p>“What a lovely formal introduction. Make yourself useful and crush that black pepper.” </p><p>Draco set to work, falling into rhythm easily as they worked side by side for several silent minutes before he started to ask Severus a question, which was sharply cut off instantly. </p><p>“Do you truly think it wise to have a conversation about your new <em> pet </em>while we are here?” Severus hissed. Draco snapped his mouth shut and went back to crushing pepper and thinly slicing dandelion root. They worked on until Severus was adding the potions into phials that already contained the blood of the other Death Eaters who had Vampires at their sides. In total, there were about sixty. It certainly seemed to keep Severus busy. </p><p>“Back to the manor, then we may speak freely.” </p><p>Draco helped clean up with a swish of his wand, then they apparated separately back to Malfoy Manor.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Promotions.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>“You need to be more careful. I understand that you’re very excited to have something new to play with, but others will not be so understanding of your childish ways.” </p><p>“I-I don’t think of her <em> as a toy! </em>” </p><p>“You absolutely do. Anyone could see your amusement even if they were blind. What did she tell you, exactly? Did she promise to be your good little girl? Or did she simply swoon as soon as you batted your lashes at her?”</p><p>Draco was stunned. For a moment, all he did was stare at Severus, both of them huffing in the otherwise empty entrance hall of the manor. He swallowed hard just as sharp, clipped footsteps approached them. </p><p>“Draco? Severus? I wasn’t expecting you both, but no matter. I’ll have the elves add settings for you at the table.” </p><p>With a barely concealed grimace, Draco turned towards his mother’s voice. Narcissa Malfoy was only three inches shorter than he was, but she still seemed to tower over him as she paused a few feet from the two of them. Taking in their still aggravated expressions, she pressed her lips together in a hard line. </p><p>“What are you two having a row over today?” </p><p>“Your son has been graciously bestowed a gift by The Dark Lord, Cissa. Along with a <em> promotion.” </em></p><p>Anger flared deep in Draco’s chest, each doll cracking open until he sneered up at Severus with the insolence of a pouting school boy. </p><p>“I like you better when you’re fully occluded,” Severus snapped.</p><p>“I like you both better when you’re not fighting amongst yourselves. Why are you fighting over a gift?” Narcissa’s voice made them both jerk to look at her once more. </p><p>Draco took a quick breath and spoke before Severus could beat him to it, “I’ve been assigned a Vampire to use for interrogations. My team is behind in our assigned prisoners so I will start working through them tomorrow evening.” </p><p>There was a beat of silence before Narcissa put on a forced smile, “That’s wonderful, Draco. We should celebrate such a wonderful occasion.” </p><p>“She’s a Black. Forsythia Black. Have you ever heard of her?” he asked, shooting Severus a glare before striding forward to accompany his mother back to the dining room. Narcissa hummed as they walked, not fully answering him until they were fifteen minutes into their second course. </p><p>“Forsythia Black doesn’t ring a bell. I never kept up with their younger sons, so it could be one of them was married and had a daughter. You should check in <em> Sacred Genealogy </em>to see if she’s mentioned.” </p><p>Something nagged at the back of his mind, like his mother wasn’t telling him everything she knew. Instead of raising a fuss, he downed the rest of his wine and excused himself before dessert was served. Maybe if he knew more about her, then he could gain some leverage over their situation. </p><p>Unfortunately, once he summoned the book to where he waited just inside the doors of the library, Severus caught it before he could. “Feeling a little obsessed, Draco?”</p><p>“I want to know who she is. She’s barely of age and I’ve never heard of any Black children. Why are you being such an arse?”</p><p>“I <em> told </em>you to be careful. Why will knowing who she is change anything? We need to stick to our plan or it will all be for nothing. More people will die if we are not cautious.” </p><p>“How does finding out about her change our plans? Am I not able to be curious and cautious at the same time?”</p><p>“No,” Severus responded flatly, “you are acting like a child again. There is no reason to familiarize yourself with her.” </p><p>“Maybe that works for you, but I can’t have sex with somebody I don’t know at least somewhat.” </p><p>Severus’ eyes flashed. Now he’d done it. Draco threw himself down into a leather armchair while Severus erupted on him, shouting over his own echoes about how irresponsible and immature Draco was. How insolent. How thoughtless. How reckless. He let him go on and on until Severus took a breath. </p><p>“I understand that I need to be careful, alright? The only controlled way to break the contracts is what we’ve already discussed! It’s certainly easier that she’s a woman, but I need more to go off of than that. What if she’s younger than I think she is?” </p><p>“She is a Vampire. For all you know she’s fifty.”</p><p>“There’s <em> no </em>way she’s fifty. You should have seen how terrified she was today when I took her to him. It was..Blaise’s Vampire already told me she’s young.” </p><p>Severus snorted, “Blaise’s Vampire is one hundred and seven. His frame of reference is meaningless in your argument.” </p><p>“I’m not arguing with you! What am I supposed to do if she was turned when she was fifteen and has only been turned for a year or two? Do you really think waiting between five and eight years is the best idea at this point?”</p><p>“<em> At this point </em> we do not know how long we need to be in control of prisoners. We don’t know how long Potter is going to take doing whatever it is that Dumbledore sent him off to do. You will need to learn patience and wait until I tell you it is time.” </p><p>“Great, I love that you’re in charge of when I fu-.” Draco cut himself off just as the library doors opened once more. Hisky, his mother’s favorite elf, came trotting in looking cross with him. </p><p>“Master Draco, you is to bring the books you is reading to Mistress at once.” As if to further intimidate him, the little elf put both hands on her hips and glared up at him. </p><p>Hisky was usually very mild mannered unless he’d done something to personally offend her. Apparently, he had, though he couldn’t remember what it was that he did. While he pondered, Severus handed over the genealogy book to Hisky, and she snatched it away from him before turning her nose up at the both of them. </p><p>Knowing it was in his best interest to not keep either of them waiting, Draco pushed himself to his feet and left with Hisky without another word to Severus. He’d be able to find his own way out of the manor.  </p><p>They went straight to Narcissa’s private study; a room decorated in soft whites and blues set off to the west side of the manor, usually in a wash of sunlight. Now that it was late in the evening, the crescent moon peeked in instead. She had all of her lamps lit, the flames still and unwavering. </p><p>“Your elf is getting mouthier by the day,” he greeted, quickly sidestepping to avoid a wallop from Hisky. Narcissa only smiled, “That’s exactly how I like her, thank you. Now, come sit with me by the fire.” </p><p>The only time she ever invited him to sit with her by the fire was when somebody had died. Or, when she had to fight for his freedom from arranged marriages. Both were equally alarming. So, he wasted no time in collapsing into the chaise lounge she’d pushed closer to the fire. </p><p>“I didn’t want to say anything in front of Severus, though I’m sure he’s already worked out what’s going on.” </p><p>“What exactly <em> is </em> going on?”</p><p>His mother was quiet for several moments as she ran her fingers over the cover of the genealogy book, smoothing over the raised, gold-leafed letters. His jaw twitched and he had to brush his palms over his trousers the longer she made him wait. Who was dead? Who had tried to convince her to let them marry their daughter off to him? It must have been bad if she was waiting so long to break the news to him. </p><p>“When I show you the information about Forsythia Black, I need you to promise not to be too angry with me.” </p><p>“Why would I be angry with you? Is she another one of my distant cousins or something?” </p><p>“No, love, nothing like that. You understand this book to show the sacred twenty-eight and their entire family trees, yes?” </p><p>“Erm, yes?”</p><p>“It is not just that. This book, when charmed correctly will also show the golden strings of fate.” </p><p>“Fate?”</p><p>“The sacred twenty-eight are the only fully magical families in Britain. It was decided that each heir would be linked together every few generations in order to further the lines of pure magic. Obviously, you know my views on the issue of allowing muggles into relations with pure magical families and how they differ from your father’s, but this is something I was unable to get you out of. Will you forgive me?”</p><p>“As long as it’s not Ginny Weasley, I promise I won’t be cross with you.” </p><p>He’d tried to joke with his mother, to ease her worries, but it did nothing to help the dry feeling in his own mouth. His own pounding heart and sweaty palms and the uncomfortable twitch in his jaw. </p><p>When she remained silent, Draco felt bile rise up in the back of his throat, “Don’t tell me you actually married me off with Ginny Weasley!” </p><p>“No, my love. Not a Weasley.” </p><p>“So who then? If not her, I mean.” </p><p>Slowly, Narcissa opened the genealogy book and rested it between their laps. She flipped through until they were on page one hundred and eleven, then drew her finger down the chart of familial ties until she reached Marius Black. He was connected to a name that had been cursed off the page, and just below them sat one Forsythia Black. Draco scowled, flickering his eyes to his mother as she raised her wand and tapped Forsythia’s name,<em> “Ligatum anima mae.” </em></p><p>As if it was being drawn in real time, a thin golden line appeared on the page. It connected Forsythia Black to something on a different page. As Narcissa turned backwards to page eighty-seven, Draco held his breath. There was no way. </p><p>There, in black ink and underlined in the same gold that had sprung up underneath Forsythia, was his own name. Connected across pages and apparently fate. He felt himself gag again. </p><p>“Do you want to know about her? I have photographs, and some letters as well, from Marius.” </p><p>“No.” </p><p>“You’re cross with me. Would it help at all if I reminded you that this was not up to me?”</p><p>“No.” </p><p>Narcissa snapped the book closed and rounded on him, her blue eyes alight with a fierceness he rarely had to deal with being directed at himself, “You are the heir to the Malfoy Family. She is the only single heir to the Black Family. This is beyond anybody’s control and was decided before any of us were born. I’ve explained to you that I did everything I could to have this dealt with, and unfortunately the laws and magic are binding.” </p><p>“Binding how? She’s my <em> bloody guard dog!” </em> </p><p><em> “You will watch your language! </em>” </p><p>He slumped his shoulders and sat back, suddenly keenly aware of how there was sweat on his brow and across his chest. Maybe he would be sick. </p><p>“Did they ever take into account that maybe this just wouldn’t work? She’s a bl- she’s a Vampire, mother. What <em> exactly </em>am I supposed to do with her?”</p><p>Again, Narcissa was quiet, though that burning in her eyes remained present as she watched him. He was about to just get up and leave when she reached out a tentative hand and rested it over his knee, “I understand that these circumstances were not taken into account. When it was revealed what had happened to her everything was attempted to break this string. Your father was in an uproar for nearly three hours with the ministry. Nothing can be done. They don’t have any recordings of what she is; she never registered when she was turned. In their eyes, she’s dead.</p><p>“I thought that would mean that you would not be required to do anything with this, but now that she’s under your command I’m not sure what will happen. If The Dark Lord chose you to take her on, then perhaps he is aware of this connection and is attempting to show you some mercy with it. If he is not aware, then fate is working regardless of this war.” </p><p>Draco was speechless. His mind nested itself away, layer under layer, until he was back in control, “And if I refuse?”</p><p>“There’s nothing to refuse. You are linked to her and she is linked to you. There’s nothing any of us can do to change it. I highly doubt she’s aware of it, but it may be in your best interest to not mention it yet.”</p><p>“Right, because the first thing I want to do is run back to her screaming at the top of my lungs that we’re connected by some golden thread.”</p><p>“I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have, provided you will remember your tone.” Her eyes were blazing again, and Draco felt his jaw twitch. As if things weren’t complicated enough. </p><p>He sat with his mother for another few minutes, occluding himself once more until he was safely hidden behind too many dolls to count. “Do I have any choice in this? Does she?”</p><p>“You always have a choice in my eyes. With her parents being long dead there is nobody to force her into anything, either. I just...I thought it would be important for you to understand why you may feel certain things towards her. This is why.” </p><p>Draco snorted, relaxing up into his tight posture and sighing heavily, “What do <em> you </em> suggest I do?”</p><p>“I suggest you play your part well and allow her to play hers through the war. You must keep yourself under control; you’re an adult now and I expect you to act like one. While I will not require you to be with her, I will require you to respect her all the same. Obviously that will be difficult at Oak Grove, but I imagine you will make due. </p><p>“Now, then. When was the last time she was fed?” </p><p>Bile rose in his throat again. After a quick glance at the clock over the mantle, Draco shrugged noncommittally, “It’s been a few hours. Her eyes were black, though, when I saw her last and she said she hadn’t fed properly in quite a few days. Do you know much about them?” </p><p>“Some. There are a few books. You would do well to read them so that you’re aware of what kind of care she’ll need.”</p><p>“You sound like Severus.”</p><p>“Perhaps with two people telling you the same thing you’ll be more likely to listen.”</p><p>He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. At least his mother was always honest with him when she could be. Gently, he pressed a kiss to her cheek, promised again that he wasn’t too angry with her, and headed up to his bedroom under the guise of needing to get some sleep. </p><p>Of course, sleep was the very last thing Draco did. Instead, he summoned several books up from the library and began diligently researching everything he could get his hands on regarding Vampires. Unfortunately, he found very quickly that there wasn’t much to go off of. Nobody previously had ever kept one as a pet, so there weren’t any instructions. </p><p>There were, though, some basic things in regards to their feeding habits, how to identify them, what the various stages of starvation were, and how to defend against them. All of which were barely page long entries in books not even dedicated to the creatures specifically. By one in the morning, he’d had enough, chucking the pile down off of his bed and thrusting himself under the duvet. </p><p>It felt like he’d barely closed his eyes when the sun was already waking him up again. His breakfast wafted mouth watering promises of bacon and roasted potatoes from where it had been left on his desk by one of the elves. They’d lit a fire as well. He forced himself up, ate, showered, and went over what he’d read the night before. It wasn’t much help, but at least he was able to guess that she’d need another potion when he went back to her, and that she’d probably be more pleasant if he brought her out during the evening as opposed to the middle of the day. </p><p>He spent the rest of the morning tidying up his room before he got dressed and went to Oak Grove under the pretense of helping Severus brew more of the blood replenishing potions. After barely landing in the lobby, Blaise abruptly pulled him into the stairwell, his Vampire hanging around just behind his shoulder as usual. </p><p>“Good morning to you, too.”</p><p>“Did you see her yet?”</p><p>Blaise looked uncharacteristically excited, his dark eyes flashing with amusement and a sick kind of joy. Draco raised an eyebrow at him, “I did. Why are you looking at me like that?”</p><p>“She’s impressive, right? How did she do with The Dark Lord?”</p><p>“Not well. I need to get a fresh potion for her, actually.” </p><p>“Good, she’ll need it.” </p><p>Her stomach twisted with unease, “You sound like you know something I don’t know.” </p><p>Blaise’s grin widened into a full blown smirk, but his Vampire spoke for him before he had a chance to spill whatever it was he was hiding.</p><p>“Blaise has transferred his interrogation to you. I’m supposed to be resting.” </p><p>“Are you ill?”</p><p>“No, I’m feeling lazy. Blaise will give me time off if I promise to bite him a few times.”</p><p>There was an awkward silence where both Draco and Blaise tried to hide how uncomfortable they were with the Vampire being so open about such a thing. Draco didn’t want to think of his school friend being intimate with anyone, let alone the man standing at his shoulder. </p><p>“You’ll understand once she starts feeding from you.”</p><p>“I highly doubt there will ever be a need for such a thing.” </p><p>“You say that now. Trust me, it’ll happen one way or another.” </p><p>Draco pinched the bridge of his nose and slid past the other two men, keen on getting up to Severus for some much needed quiet and space to ready himself if he truly was going to be in charge of interrogating somebody. </p><p>“Do you have the file? For the interrogation.”</p><p>“I do.”</p><p>“Are you going to give it to me?”</p><p>“Only if you say please.”</p><p>Draco skewered him with a piercing glare that worked because it only took his friend another two seconds to withdraw the folder from his cloak and hand it over. </p><p>“Thank you, Blaise. I believe you’re dismissed. Take your Vampire down to the healer if any problems persist.” Blaise only winked, then the two of them were gone with a soft pop. </p><p>As he climbed up to Severus, Draco read through the file. In two day’s time, he’d be bringing Forsythia up to an internal interview, which was a very nice term for an interrogation that was being done on a fellow Death Eater who was suspected to have defected to some degree. While it could be less dangerous than seeing an actual Order member, for example, there was still a degree of risk involved. If only to make it easier on her, seeing as it was her first time having to take orders from him in this way, Draco decided he’d go in early and soften the guy up for her. Maybe he’d even stay with her during it. </p><p>That wasn’t necessarily protocol, but Draco didn’t want to leave her alone with somebody. She wasn’t practiced, nor did he know how strong the command would be yet. There was no telling if it would work right away if he wasn’t near her, and there wouldn’t be much room for error; if she killed somebody under his watch he’d have to discipline her immediately. Thinking back to when his ring had burned her, he shuddered at the thought of doing something like that on purpose. </p><p>If he focused on the charm, he could feel a sort of invisible tether that linked him to somewhere several floors below him. With a jolt, he wondered if part of it was the string his mother had shown him the previous night. Draco shook his head, building up his occlusion until he blinked and was standing next to where Severus was bustling between several steaming cauldrons, his wand moving endlessly as he charmed the stirrers. </p><p>“Just going to stand there or were you planning on helping me?” </p><p>Draco tossed the folder onto the workbench, “I need your help.” </p><p>“What a shocking revelation. Do tell me, dear boy, what it is you’re attempting to not muck up this time.”</p><p>“I have to use her in an interrogation in two days and I don’t know where to start with her or what to expect at all. I shouldn’t..it’s not <em> normal </em>for us to be concerned about them, is it?”</p><p>Snape rounded on him, eyes burning and locked onto his face inscrutably, “I believe last night your mother told you about the connection?”</p><p>“Yes.” </p><p>“It is not normal for us to be concerned about them. However, it is very normal that you’re concerned about her. You always were too soft for this sort of work.” Severus continued before Draco could do more than scowl.</p><p>“You will take her from her cell and into the interrogation room. You will make her bite the person you’re interrogating or break his bones or peel the skin from his eyelids or whatever it is that you see fit to have done to him. Once he gives you the information you need, you will take her back to her cell and then go home to your mother where she will have tea and biscuits waiting for you.” </p><p>Draco gulped. He’d have to ask her to do things, horrible things, in order to get through this part. Eventually, he knew they’d move up from internal to external interrogations, and he and Severus’ plan would be set in motion. The more people from the outside they could process, the more Severus could get to safety. She would need to be strong.</p><p>“Will you-?”</p><p>“No. Not this one. I would advise you to allow her to let loose on him if she can.” </p><p>“Oh?”</p><p>“Take this to her, make sure she drinks the whole thing. The more she has the easier it will be to command her. I doubt she’ll be willing to do much of anything unless you force her for now.” </p><p>“Thank you.” </p><p>Severus glanced up at him as he held out a new potion bottle for him to take, “Add it to the growing list of things you owe me for.” </p><p>The corner of his lips twitched, and Draco took the potion and left him without a backwards glance. Of course, he was right. By the end of the war Draco didn’t doubt that he’d owe Severus many, many favors, whatever those would end up being. </p><p>He didn’t realize until he was at the bottom of the stairs and half-way into the cell block where his feet had carried him. The outer doll cracked again, and he did his best to mend it as quickly as he could as he walked down towards the end. Down to where she was. </p><p>She was in the same spot he’d left her in the night before, though she did look a bit healthier. Her skin wasn’t as yellow, and though she kept her eyes downcast he could see a hint of blue peeking out from under her lashes. His chest swelled with pride; he was helping her get better. </p><p>Without thinking, Draco unlocked her cell and stepped inside, eyes glued to her and heart thrumming with excitement. It wasn’t that he liked being near her, she was just much more interesting now that he knew a little bit about her. From what he read, she most likely wasn’t in a foul enough mood to attack him based on her body language, so he let some of his guard down as he approached her. </p><p>Even if he had relaxed some, Draco still kept his wits about him when he finally made it over to her. As he’d been told, and as he’d read, he kept his eyes down as he stopped just a foot from her. “Ah, not pleased to see me?” He smirked down at her, waiting for her to snap back, to play back, but she remained silent and brooding. </p><p>His smile faded, “Do I need to warn you again not to do anything stupid?” Forsythia packed herself in tighter to her corner, eyes pointedly locked on the adjacent wall and arms tucked around herself. Draco wondered if she was protecting her upper body, if she was afraid he’d hurt her. </p><p>Holding back a wince, he tried to joke with her again in an attempt to get her to respond to him, “Good. You should really be thanking me, seeing as I’m hand delivering your meals.” She didn’t respond verbally, but her gaze darkened. That was at least something; she was listening to what he was saying and not tuning him out so that was a good sign. </p><p>Slowly, Draco kneeled where he stood and set the new potion beside her closer than he‘d left the last. It was both a test and a show. A test of if she’d attack him if given the chance, and a show of his trust that she wouldn’t. Something lit deep in his chest like a candle flickering to life. Forsythia continued to remain still, eyes far away from him and expression pinched with anger. </p><p>With his eyes still locked on her, just in case, he slowly stood. Something was telling him to not move too quickly so she’d be able to see and anticipate his movements; so she wouldn’t feel trapped or taken off guard. </p><p>“Ah, that’s very interesting to know. You won’t attack me now. Excellent.” </p><p>Finally, <em> finally </em>, she looked up at him like she wished she could kill him on the spot. Even knowing she was very capable if he wasn’t careful, Draco grinned down at her again. He was elated just being looked at by her. They did not have a conversation, and all Draco did was remind her of the potion before he spun on his heel and left her once more. </p><p>So, this elation was their fate. Their string. Just another layer of bonding to complicate things further. It made his head hurt thinking of all the ways they were connected; the mastering charm, the barely burgeoning blood bond, and this string. He rubbed his temples as he leaned back against the railing of the stairwell and tried to get himself fully occluded again. How was it possible to feel drunk off of nothing but the presence of somebody else?</p><p>His blood ran cold; he still didn’t know how old she was. With a shudder, Draco forced himself to move towards the third floor to see about the internal they were supposed to work through in a couple of days. If all he could do was soften up the person waiting for them, then he’d do it. </p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Interrogation #1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>violence warning</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <span>“Get up.” </span>
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  <span>Draco rolled his shoulders and internally winced at the sound of his own voice. Being so far occluded into himself always made his tone sound a bit off, like he was just a bit crueler than he actually was. Cruel meant he’d be taken seriously, though, and while they wouldn’t have many eyes on them tonight, Draco knew it was important to start strong. </span>
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  <span>He’d spent sixteen hours with the man they were interrogating that night, Hornstrand, and it had been exhausting. At first, he’d been hopeful that he’d be able to get the information out of him on his own, but Hornstrand was stronger mentally than Draco had given him credit for. It was only when he’d brought up Forsythia that Hornstrand had even shown a single sign of fear. </span>
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  <span>Maybe if they were lucky, the mere sight of her would force his tongue. Draco made a mental note to start talking her up whenever he was with other Death Eaters. If he could build her reputation then perhaps that would work to their advantage. </span>
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  <span>Forsythia didn’t move from her corner, though she was watching him rather reproachfully. Inside himself, Draco hummed with pleasure that she was even looking at him this time. Bless Severus for making her potion a bit more potent. </span>
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  <span>Choking back saying ‘please’ first, Draco spat out, “Don’t make me use the mastering charm.” Shit, he was supposed to be respectful towards her. He supposed that giving her the option to obey without the charm was more respectful than most other Death Eaters would offer. </span>
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  <span>She stood, slow and cautious as if she didn’t trust her body to stay upright. Furthering his own pleasure, she seemed stable enough to stand. Healthier, too, from what he could see. Her knees weren’t as knobbly and her face had a softness it hadn’t possessed when he’d seen her the first time. His eyes tracked the movement of her hair shimmering down her back as she nearly kicked the muzzle across her cell. </span>
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  <span>“Put it on,” he reminded her, trying to be a bit less cold towards her. Afterall, she was young and he shouldn’t scare her when he needed her to work with him. She listened, and he thought maybe playing with her would ease the tension. </span>
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  <span>“Who knew my blood would give you some semblance of intelligence.” </span>
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  <span>Joking did nothing but add to the tension. Forsythia scowled at him from under the mask, her eyes flashing with a dangerous kind of anger. The joke was that he knew she was smart, knew she was more than capable of handling herself. He thought it was so obvious that her anger squashed his mood instantly. No more joking. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Draco unlocked the cell. </span>
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  <span>Forsythia gave a little jerk and a wince, and he could see the runes spark to life as the mask shocked her for something she’d thought of. Maybe she did want to kill him. That was all fine and good, probably for the best for now, anyway. Draco decided not to take it personally and instead took half a step forward and reached out a careful hand to take her arm. Others might lead their Vampires around in chains, or like Blaise with a command, but Draco didn’t like the idea of either. He also wanted to show her what he’d done, or rather what he hadn’t done. Hoping she’d notice, he let his unadorned fingers wrap fully around her bare skin. </span>
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  <span>She was cold, shockingly cold, and hard under his touch. It felt like her skin was made of smooth stone instead of flesh. Despite not being human, their skin tones were very close, and that made Draco want to mention something about it; like they weren’t so different from each other after all. He’d already noticed her eyeing some of his scars, so that could also be a way for him to connect with her. Maybe she had some of her own. Maybe they could swap stories.</span>
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  <span>He’d barely guided her towards the edge of the cell when she planted her bare feet and refused to move any further. Groaning internally, Draco raised a questioning eyebrow at her. </span>
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  <span>“I want my boots back, and I can walk on my own.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, she certainly sounded better. That made him pleased again, and Draco had to remember himself before he responded to her, “You’re not in any position to ask for favors. Your kind don’t need shoes, or clothes for that matter, from what others like you have said. Why do you want the boots?” If he was going to do something nice for her, he’d need a really good reason, particularly if that nice thing went against protocol. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t like not having them, and they were very expensive.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Merlin, she was stubborn. Sensing an impending argument, Draco refrained from rolling his eyes and instead pushed her back into her cell, locked her in, and disapparated himself back up to Severus. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need her boots.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The boots she was brought in with. I need them for her.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Already running errands for her like a lap dog?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I am asking for them because she refuses to leave her cell without them. And I would prefer if I didn’t have to half-drag her around this place while she trips and stumbles because she’s barefoot.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Severus was quiet for a moment, a knowing smirk curling the edges of his lips up before his expression cleared and he nodded his head to indicate a desk across the room from them that was piled high with the personal effects of the Vampires who had been brought in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Accio Forsythia’s boots.” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Right on cue, the boots zoomed neatly up into his waiting hand. They were heavy dragonhide and Draco was rather impressed with the quality of them. So, she had expensive taste. That he could work with. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Add it to the list,” he called over his shoulder before he turned on the spot and dropped back down several floors to her once more. He set the boots down at the edge of the bars and said, “There. And you’re not walking on your own.” Shoes he could do, but letting her bounce around him freely was not an accommodation that he could provide currently. He needed to make sure first that the mastering charm was strong enough for that sort of thing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The look of comfort on her face made his outer shell start to creak warningly, and he hoped she hadn’t noticed any change in him as he’d let himself relax some at the warmth in her eyes. Blue. Bright blue, even more intense than his mother’s were. She was healthy again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Th-anks, thank you, I mean.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco almost told her she was more than welcome, that he’d do what he could to make her comfortable when they were together. However, that was not appropriate and he couldn’t show her that side of him yet. Or ever. Probably ever. Instead, he forced his spine until it was ramrod straight and pretended she’d said nothing at all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After her arm was back in his hand and her cell was locked up, and after they paused for her to shuck her feet into her boots, Draco led her towards the stairs. She tensed at first, and he wondered if she was worried he’d take her downstairs again. If he could help it, he’d never take her down there again. But of course that was for his own sake, not hers. It was exhausting keeping up the facade of the evil, controlling Death Eater, so he’d do whatever it took to not have to express himself in that way. Yeah. That was it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re going easy on you for your first time,” he said, “I’ll be there making sure you don’t kill anybody.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He snapped his mouth shut as soon as they reached the third floor, quickly forcing the dolls to nest another two layers deep. Even if they weren’t downstairs, he’d still have to keep at least some of the act up, as exhausting as that was. Not only that, but there was a sudden urge to keep her hidden from anybody else. An urge he dismissed quickly once they’d passed a group of returning scouts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as they entered the main atrium of the third floor, he felt her hesitate then jerk and stumble as he tried his best to encourage her gently forward. “Be careful,” he warned her, worried of how he’d have to react if she fell. It wasn’t like he could just bend down and sweep her up into his arms like some hero. No, in fact he’d probably have to shout at her or discipline her in some other, less merciful way, especially if there were others about. So far, though, it seemed the atrium was empty. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco felt himself relax some, though he still tossed her a glare over his shoulder for good measure. One day he’d be able to explain to her how they’d need to act while together at Oak Grove, but there wasn’t time now. He’d wasted too much of it beating and cursing the fuck out of Hornstrand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the back of his mind, Ash’s advice pulled itself up like a reminder pinned to a bulletin board. Because there was nobody else around, and because her eyes were locked on his, Draco deliberately looked down towards his shoes. Praying she understood the gesture and he hadn’t made a complete fool of himself, he kept his eyes down as he led her across the atrium and towards where the interrogation rooms awaited them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> They were about to step into the long, narrow hallway, when Walden Macnair apparated with a soft pop just to their left. Without thinking, Draco yanked Forsythia even closer to him, his hand tightening on her frozen upper arm until it hurt his knuckles from the pressure of his grasp. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, Malfoy. I see you’ve finally been assigned one, and a female, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Annoyance rose up in the back of his throat like bile. If Macnair was a lower rank, he would have ignored him, but seeing as he was just one step above Draco himself, he put on a mask of smugness and replied, “Indeed, Macnair.” and left it at that. It was polite and brief enough to not raise any more questions. He didn’t want to have a conversation, he wanted to get their interrogation over with before he was too exhausted from occluding himself to get through it. Walden gave him a parting nod before he dragged his own Vampire back towards the stairwell. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now that their path was clear again, Draco walked them into the hall and down to room seventeen where Hornstrand was waiting for them. Apparently, Forsythia had not been paying attention because she walked directly into his shoulder and then hissed at him, her eyes squeezed shut like she was waiting for him to fling her to the ground in a blind rage. Draco didn’t want to fling her, nor was he enraged. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He blinked a few times, feeling the dolls shiver as he forced them to stay nested. When she seemed to figure out he wasn’t going to hurt her, she opened her eyes and stared at him like she’d been confunded. Just under her breath, she whispered, “I’m sorry, just a bit jumpy.” That was an understatement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re interrogating a Death Eater today. The Cruciatus is too dangerous to use again on him, so you’re going to bite him and let him bleed a little bit at a time until he decides that explaining himself is worth more than bleeding out. Do you have the control for that or do you need something before we start?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was meant to be her opportunity to say she was too thirsty to stay in control, or to ask for another potion before they went in. It was meant to be her chance to get out of it. Instead, all she did was shrug casually and say, “l think I’ll be alright.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wanted to press her, to ask if she was sure or if she was truly in control; maybe even slice his arm open and wave it around in her face as a test. A flicker of movement back at the mouth of the hallway forced him not to, though, and instead, eyes still caught on hers, he reached blindly down to open the interrogation room door. If somebody was watching, he’d need to be the intense ‘Death Eater General’ Draco, not ‘worrying-about-his-secretly-bonded-by-fate pet’ Draco.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he’d left Hornstrand, he’d made sure to scourgify the entire room and Hornstrand himself all the way down to his shoes. There was no trace of anything, the previously bloodied nose and eyebrow now staunched and the dangingly tooth cut and vanished away. Instead of a gruesome mess, Hornstrand looked two or three days into being healed. Draco hoped this would help her stay in control. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she didn’t move, he urged her in ahead of him and locked the door behind them. If she lost control then he’d need to keep her contained. There was no telling how strong her frenzy would be, and from the passages he read there was a range of things that could happen if she did go into one. So, better safe than sorry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t realize his eyes had remained on her until she shot him a nervous glance, her mask still firmly in place. Interested, he watched her turn back to Hornstrand and take in the damage he’d done to him. Of course, she probably didn’t know it was he who used the butt of his wand as a stamp all along Hornstrand’s arms, but he could see her taking them in. It gave him a sense of pride seeing her examine Hornstrand, examine his work on him; his work that he’d done for her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Feeling rather full of himself, Draco smirked and gestured between the two of them like he was introducing two friends who did not yet know each other, “Hornstrand, Black. Black, Hornstrand.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hornstrand lifted his head. “A fucking Vampire? And a bitch one at that? Surely this is a joke, Malfoy,” he grunted. The flame in Draco’s chest flickered to life again, only this time it brought anger with it. A burning, subtle kind of anger. Severus had told him that he could let her loose on Hornstrand and it would be a good thing. Now, he hoped maybe she would frenzy on the knob. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can take your mask off now,” he directed his attention to Forsythia once more, “The door’s shut.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was exciting watching her roll her shoulders, moving like a predator in the small room. Again, he was filled with the hope that Hornstrand’s comment would entice her to be a bit rough, to take out some stress. He was excited, at least until she started doing something strange. It looked like she was trying to hook her finger under the mask instead of just taking it off. Now, instead of being excited he was a little annoyed with her. He couldn’t help but snort, “Just lift it off, mongrel.” He’d meant to use a different term for her, something nicer, but caught himself at the last second. Nearly scoffed at himself for wanting to call her </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘pet’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>outloud. He shuddered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite him telling her how to do it correctly, Forsythia continued to wiggle her finger around until it popped free. He was glad to see her reflexes were quick enough for her to catch it before it hit the floor. One less thing for him to worry about. Not that he was worrying. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He automatically held his hand out for it, figuring it would be easier if she didn’t have to hold it awkwardly the whole time she was expected to perform. It almost made him smile when she looked surprised, then handed it over in a pace slower than death. She was doing what he’d done previously, not moving too quickly or jerking too intensely so he could follow her movements. It added a new layer of understanding to their unspoken communication, a very helpful and useful layer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was brighter in the interrogation room than it ever was down in the cells, and Draco could finally take her in properly. It was brief, but he was able to surmise that she had to be older than eighteen based solely on how she moved. There was awkwardness, but not from youth. Not from being uncomfortable in a body that had grown quickly. There was something in her eyes, too, in the way she interpreted what was around her, that was distinctly adult-like. He scowled internally and swore he’d find out her age if it was the last thing he did. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After taking a deep breath and turning back to Hornstrand, Draco said, “We know that you’ve been meeting with somebody from the Order, Hornstrand. Just tell us who.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shiver. Was she cold? Could she </span>
  <em>
    <span>get</span>
  </em>
  <span> cold? Considering both her top and her denim jeans were riddled with holes and tears, he wouldn’t be surprised. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hornstrand smirked, “What, so you can take your sket and go find them? Fat chance, Malfoy. It doesn’t matter, either. They already know about the Vampires. Before you know it they’ll be here with a hail of silver bullets if they’re smart. They know I’ve been captured, so it’s only a matter of time.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another wave of anger burned in his chest. How was it that after sixteen hours, and now being faced with Forsythia in the flesh, he still had it in him to be a right arse? Draco scowled again, feeling his anger tip as he snorted and snapped, “Jeopardizing these weapons has not pleased the Dark Lord, Hornstrand. We keep them thirsty, you know, for these meetings. At my word she’ll drain you dry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To his intense displeasure, and mounting rage, Hornstrand </span>
  <em>
    <span>laughed. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Not only did he laugh, he also chortled out, “By all means, I’d be well pleased if you ordered her to drain my bollocks, mate. Go on, then, tell her to open up.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco took a shallow breath in through his nose, ready to beat the man once more. Instead, though, he noticed Forsythia’s own rage burning through her expression. His heart leapt. Maybe now she’d be willing to let loose a little bit. Aligning himself with her newfound motivation, Draco said, “Ah. You’ve hit a nerve with her. Go ahead, then, Black. Maybe three bites for now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Again, it was baffling how hard he had to work to not call her </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘pet’. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hadn’t used the mastering charm, hadn’t drawn his internal magic up to give his command a little extra push; there was no need. As soon as he’d spoken, she’d changed. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was that was different, but there something about the way she held herself. She went from looking a bit awkward and out of place to something more predatory. She looked like she was hunting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco watched, nearly in awe, as Forsythia twitched forward. She’d cleared the space between her and where Hornstrand sat bound so quickly he’d missed it even though he hadn’t blinked. One second she barely moved and the next she was crouched next to Hornstrand with her teeth buried in his forearm. All Draco could do was blink and watch. Her eyes flashed black, and he guessed she was starting to lose control. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The door was locked. All of her attention was focused on Hornstrand. He let her continue as she saw fit. Afterall, three bites was just a suggestion; if she wanted to keep going he wouldn’t stop her. At least, not for a while. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stiffened, and Draco braced himself, thinking maybe she would turn on him. It didn’t happen, though, she turned and bit again and again and he didn’t stop her. When she stood and bit into Hornstrand’s bicep, he didn’t stop her. When she moved in and bit the side of his neck, Draco did tense, but then she pulled away and stumbled back half a step, looking like she was fighting herself. He’d help her stop now that she’d finished. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Enough</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a rush using the command charm on her, his magic swirling through him. Even more so when she forced herself to sit down on the floor as far away from Hornstrand as she could get. Well, the charm was certainly strong, that was for sure. Seeing as she’d done her part of their job, Draco strode forward and grabbed Hornstrand by the front of his robes, “She’s had enough, have you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fucking hell, Malfoy, what the hell did you do to her venom!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell me who you’ve been working with.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hornstrand groaned in response, twisting his body away from where she’d bitten him. Draco read that the venom was painful, but Hornstrand seemed a bit more than just ‘in pain’, he looked like he was burning from the inside out. Maybe he wouldn’t have to talk her bite up as much as he’d originally thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Hornstrand didn’t answer, Draco didn’t stop himself from landing a solid right hook into his jaw, savoring the way the bone vibrated from the force of his fist. Hornstrand slumped to the side, and Draco moved around the table that separated them to close in. He took him by the throat, forcing his head back until Hornstrand was looking up at him dazedly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, alright,” he cried, “Alright, Malfoy, fine. I’ll tell you, just make it stop.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I think I prefer you this way.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, fine, here, I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you. It’s Shacklebolt. Kingsley Shacklebolt, he’s-he’s the one who..who..fuck, mate, please!” Draco wondered if all the venom had come together, almost wanted to know how it felt to have it searing through his body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They got their answer, though. There was no real reason to let the torture continue. Be that as it may, Draco took his time cleaning Hornstrand first, then healing him. It was easy enough to siphon the venom out of the wounds before he closed them with a quick swish of his wand. Once Hornstrand was taken care of, he turned back to Forsythia. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A shock of anxiety shot through his chest. She was still on the ground, eyes closed and face pale. There was blood on her lips. “Don’t tell me you’ve gone and died,” he said, leaning down to see into her face more clearly. Her eyes fluttered open, and he felt an immense rush of relief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she didn’t say anything back, he brought her mask back out. It would probably be best to get her down to her cell where he could get her another potion without being under Hornstrand’s gaze. He was also worried she might lose control again staying in the small room that still probably smelled of fresh blood. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sit forward. I need to put this back on you.” No command, no swirl of magic in his throat. Despite not having used the charm, Forsythia still sat forward; obedient. He lifted the mask to meet her, though he stopped about an inch short and waited. She’d be allowed to refuse it if she wanted to. He trusted that she wouldn’t attack him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyes flickered to his, then she set her chin down into the mask and relaxed as it covered the lower half of her face. Without even thinking twice, Draco held her gaze before dropping it and looking down once more. He took his hand away from the mask and instead pulled her up off the floor by her upper arms, and attempted to be gentle about it seeing as she seemed very unstable. Even if she couldn’t stand, he’d have to drag her along. There was no way he’d be able to get away with carrying her in his arms. Not that he wanted to. Certainly not. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco felt heat rise up his neck and into his cheeks, occluded himself so harshly he went stiff as he led her from the room. He needed to act like an adult. Now fully hidden away, he allowed himself to relax into the cold and cruel exterior. It was easier moving around Oak Grove with this many layers between himself and the outside world. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time they got down to the cells, Forsythia was swaying on her feet, blinking rapidly and shaking so bad he could see her muscles twitching in time with each other. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked, harsh with worry. Why was he so worried? Draco wanted to punch himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had to shoot forward to grab onto her as she nearly collapsed there on the floor. For a moment, all he saw were the whites of her eyes before she managed to right herself enough for him to let her go. After taking a shallow breath through her mouth, Forsythia said, “I need to throw up his blood. The dark magic in it..it’s making me..sick.” She sounded so weak, so frail. Draco’s stomach turned. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? None of the others ever had problems. I thought you were dark creatures to begin with.” He forced himself to sound casual. The outer shell of the dolls was shivering again, and he was starting to become too exhausted to hold it together. He watched her eyes widen, her throat constrict visibly under the pale, pale skin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a wince, he told her she could take the mask off and be sick if she really needed to, that he’d clean up whatever mess she made. Then, he turned away so she’d have some semblance of privacy. It’s what he would have wanted, and the only thing he could offer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was awful listening to her gag and choke and being unable to do anything to stop it. Instead, he recited the runes he knew by heart as loudly in his head as he could, trying to mask the sound of her retching. At least she’d been able to lift her mask off of her face instead of doing the weird finger wiggle. If he wasn’t mistaken, she’d even thanked him for...for what? For letting her be sick? Or, for offering to clean it up when she was done? He winced again when she choked even harder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When it was finally quiet, he turned back to find her on her hands and knees, a mess of red all over the floor under her. Draco frowned as he vanished the mess and pulled her up for a second time. He was filled with an anger that simmered through him. She’d gotten sick because of the blood. Because of Hornstrand’s dark magic filled blood. The only reason it had been so integrated was because of what he’d done to the man previous to their proper interrogation. He wanted to be sick himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then and there, Draco decided to not loosen up anymore of their prisoners. Maybe he’d knock them around physically, but no dark magic. Not if it ended with this. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Feeling like he didn’t deserve to be near her, he snarled at her to go back into the cell where he could keep her safe, keep her tucked away from everyone and himself. Especially himself. The least he could do was feed her, though, especially after what had happened. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So, he left her there. He left her there and went up to Severus. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Were you successful?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s been giving information to Shacklebolt. They’re developing a weapon to use against the Vampires. I need a potion for Forsythia.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Severus paused, hand hovering over a cauldron as he sprinkled crushed moonstone into it. The light glimmered off the powder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You certainly sound like you’re getting familiar.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Spare me the lecture, I’m not a school boy anymore.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For once, Severus actually listened to him and instead handed over a potion bottle, saying evenly that Draco would need to add his own blood into it as he’d run out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here, take some from me now. I’ll need a reserve made up for her-.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s no need. I’ve made up a supply for while I’m away. All that will need to be done is to add a few drops of your blood to them.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re going away?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just for a week. I’m going to Berlin for some ingredients we can no longer get here.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco nodded his understanding, unstoppering the bottle and using his wand to cut into his palm. The burn was punishment enough for his insolence when it came to Forsythia’s safety, and he let several fat drops drip down into the potion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he turned to leave after healing his hand, Severus cleared his throat, “At least </span>
  <em>
    <span>try</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be careful while I’m away? Don’t do anything utterly stupid.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco gave him a tired smile, “I’ll only do my job. Oh, I did what you said. Let her loose on Hornstrand. It was...exhilarating to watch.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Severus didn’t return his smile, so Draco left him. Back down to where Forsythia was curled into the corner of her cell on the floor, her face resting against her shoulder. For a moment, he thought she was asleep. He couldn’t remember if Vampires slept or not, and vowed to himself to research it as soon as he was back at the Manor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Careful, and so as to not wake her, Draco slipped the potion bottle between the latticed bars of her cell and set it just inside. Far enough away from the bars so she wouldn’t accidentally touch them but only as far as he could reach without touching them, too. Even though the silver wouldn’t bother him, the shocking hex that was charmed into said silver would.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Forsythia startled at the sound of the glass clinking into the stone floor, and Draco had to remember himself once more. He couldn’t comfort her. Shouldn’t have even wanted to in the first place. Not knowing what else to say, he told her to drink the potion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I will. Thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco stood back up, straightening his cloak and turning to go back up to the lobby to apparate home. He could do it from where he was outside of her cell, but felt the need to walk around a bit after such an intensive interrogation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-Wait! I..I have a question.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of her voice, a bit stronger than it was before, made him freeze. Part of him wanted to ignore her, to just walk away and go home to his bed and his books. Instead, he turned back towards her and waited. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why..why is your blood mixed with this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco held back a snort, even kept his eyes from rolling. He knew she already knew the answer, was annoyed that she was even asking when she so clearly knew. It was all there in her tone. There was a certain sinking quality to it, like she was more and more unwilling to ask the question with each word she said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why do you think?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Forsythia looked agitated, her chest puffing out and her expression tightening. It was...a little scary if he was honest. Even with the bars and the command charm he was worried she wouldn’t be contained if she decided she wanted to kill him. His fear quickly turned to a sick kind of aggression, and he smirked down at her while she became more and more exasperated with him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess it’s probably the blood bond, but I wasn’t sure if you knew anything about that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His aggressive smirk lightened into something more amused. So she did know. That made this infinitely more easy for him. The last thing he wanted to do was have to explain this part to her. It only added to his growing suspicion that she wasn’t as young as she looked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, we know about blood bonding. It’s an effective way to force you to work with me.” The blood bond, the mastering charm, their string of fate. It was all the same thing in the end; tied them together in every way possible until there was no hope for escape. One final time, he told her to drink before turning on the spot and going home. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How could he be so stupid to think this would be okay? He tore through the entrance hall of the manor and flung himself into his mother’s study, not bothering to knock. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t do this. I’m done. Send me away to France. Fake my death. Anything.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Narcissa looked up from where she and Hisky were sitting together near the fire, the elf holding a book between their laps. His mother’s eyes narrowed on him, “I beg your pardon?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry. Hello, Mother. I have returned from seeing my pet vomit all over the floor after an interrogation and I no longer want to be anywhere near any of this. How was dinner? Did my Father ever return home from wherever it is I’m assuming he was sent?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She raised a quizzical eyebrow, a gesture he knew so well because he did it himself all the time. “In order, welcome home. I’m sorry tonight was difficult for you and for Forsythia. Dinner was lovely, you missed Hisky’s lobster ravioli. Your father is still in Milan but should be home in a day or so. He was sent to gather intelligence, nothing too dangerous.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I want out.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You said. And, should you leave and fake your own death, as you say, what will happen to your sweet pet?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“She isn’t sweet!”  </span>
  </em>
  <span>He seethed, balling his hands into fists and pressing them into his eyes. All he could think of was getting out. Getting far, far away from everyone that he always ended up hurting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What will happen to her if you leave? Will she be reassigned? Left in a cage to rot away? Slowly starved to death?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco growled at his mother through his teeth, becoming more and more agitated by the second. He wanted to leave, so why wasn’t he? Why wasn’t he going to the fireplace, calling out the name of their chateau in Antibes where he could lay out on the beach in the sun and not bother with the war or interrogations or Vampires. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you take her with you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His mother’s question hung in the air while he panted out angry bursts of air. Almost imperceptibly, he shook his head. No, he wouldn’t take anyone with him. He wanted to be alone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As if she read his mind, which could have been a real possibility, his mother said, “Go to bed. If you feel the same way in the morning after you’ve gone to her then by all means, go. I’m sure your father and your aunt will have a field day creating a scene for your apparent and sudden death. We’ll do white roses at the funeral.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, off with you. I don’t want to see a single blonde hair from your head anywhere in my presence until at least ten-thirty.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eight.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ten in the morning</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and that is final.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco caught himself before he rolled his eyes, instead spinning around and shoving himself back out into the hall, up the main staircase and into his room. For good measure, he slammed his door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The clock on the mantle read midnight, and Draco stripped himself down to nothing but his skin and got into bed. He could research in the morning, especially because there was no way he’d go see Forsythia until the evening. If he saw her at all. Maybe he’d just sneak away and be done with it all without a backwards glance. Slowly, picturing himself spread out in the warm morning sun with the ocean lapping at the sand mere feet from him, Draco found himself slipping into a rather pleasant sleep. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Interrogation #2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A huge, huge thank-you to my beta who does not have socials, but is a good friend nonetheless, SJ, you make writing a joy, and I couldn't do it without being under your watchful, detail oriented eyes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He really didn’t plan on going back. He’d tried to stay put, had gone to the beach and gotten a sunburn across the tops of each shoulder, but it did nothing to ease his worry. Deep down, he knew why he was so restless, but he couldn’t admit it himself yet; couldn’t stomach that he was so concerned about what was happening in his absence. What if his mother was right? What if </span>
  <em>
    <span>she’d</span>
  </em>
  <span> already been reassigned? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had to have been the blood bond. Perhaps the damned golden string of fate between them. There was no other explanation for his anxiety. He was a Death Eater General for fuck’s sake, he’d done much worse. He’d tortured...killed. Yet this was where he drew the line?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It only took two days before he went back, pink cheeked and too agitated with himself to even meet his mother’s amused expression from where she was leaning out from the drawing room. Just the sight of it made him want to scowl and turn right back around, but he forced himself not to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, wonderful!” She called to him, turning over her shoulder theatrically and saying back into the drawing room, “No need to fake his death, Lucius, our son has returned home!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wonderful, indeed. So far, we’ve only mentioned that he’s been ill.” Came his father’s drawling voice. He couldn’t tell if his father was joking or not. He never could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco turned quickly and bolted up the stairs, grinding his teeth at the sound of both parents chortling away at him. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of responding. It was easy for them to sit there laughing when they hadn’t seen the look on Forsythia’s face as Hornstrand’s blood poisoned her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Instead, he went up to his room with the full intent to stay holed up for a few more days, but found himself pulling on his cloak instead. He needed to make sure she was...alive. He settled on that because anything more would be too much to process. Besides, it was impossible to feel anything else than just that, even with that little flame glowing in his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He apparated from his room, popping on the cell block floor landing while he straightened his cloak again. It felt like his chest was burning, sweat gathering at the back of his neck while he tried to keep his heart rate down. There was no reason to feel so anxious to see her, he was sure she was just fine. It had only been two days. It was absurd. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco swiped his hand over his neck and was about to walk in when the door swung open and almost into his face. Travers looked surprised to see him, side stepped around him with his Vampire in tow, “Malfoy! I thought you’d be upstairs with Granger already.” Everything stopped, his blood ran cold, and Draco could only blink stupidly at Travers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Granger. Potter’s girl? Are you alright, mate? You look confunded.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I...yes, I came to collect my p-,” he caught himself, “-Vampire. To do the interrogation.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, right! I heard you’d finally gotten one. Good luck, mate. If anyone can get through to the mudblood it’ll be you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed. Remind me what room she’s in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thirty-eight.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Travers took his Vampire upstairs, and Draco took a few seconds to get his breathing back under control. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Brilliant,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought to himself. Now he’d have to deal with Hermione Granger plus Forsythia, who he hoped wasn’t too angry with him for being gone for so long. He stopped himself; she wouldn’t be angry with him, she had no reason. And he also had no reason for being worried about her being angry with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco shook himself and apparated up to the potion lab; it would be easier to start up there. The cauldrons were empty, though there were cases of replenishing potion stacked three high on the workbench waiting. He grabbed the first one he could get his hand around, unstoppered it, and cut his wrist instead of his palm. He let his blood drip messily into the potion, wincing as it streamed more than dripped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he started getting dizzy, Draco healed the wound and pushed the stopper weakly back into the top of the bottle, his hands shaking all the while. Perhaps he’d gone a bit overboard. Great. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He apparated down to her without any further thoughts, snapped at her to drink, then struggled to keep himself upright. Why had he done so much? Was he truly so masochistic? The world swam before him as he crowded her. A stupid decision, truly, to get into her space being so out of it. She didn’t attack, though. In fact, she looked concerned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t make me command you to, I’m very tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Forsythia snatched the potion out of his hands and then immediately started drinking it. Somewhere deep in his stomach there was an odd ache as he watched her. As she drank, he told her quietly that they’d have an interrogation to go to, but not until that evening; he felt too woozy to face dragging her anywhere for at least a few hours. Plus, it was still light out. Even if she was in an okay mood currently, he knew she’d be more comfortable once the sun was down, not that the cell block let in any light at all. The lack of windows certainly made it impossible to tell what time of day it was at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was pulled from his thoughts when Forsythia took the potion bottle from her lips. It was empty, and all he could bring himself to do was give her a nod and leave her once more. If they were really were going to interrogate Hermione-fucking-Granger then he needed to get ahold of himself. He went straight back up to the lab, sat himself up on the workbench and grabbed a replenishing potion for himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After checking his watch, Draco sighed and relaxed further. It was still an hour before the sunset, so he had some time to kill. Being in the lab meant he’d have to see others as they came in to fetch the replenishing potions, and he was not in the mood for conversations. Instead, he wanted to be left alone, far away from anybody else where he wouldn’t be bothered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought of maybe finding an empty interrogation room, but decided that he didn’t want to move that far from where he was currently. So, instead, he disillusioned himself and relaxed back into a corner. It was nice, being able to sit down in the gloom while the replenishing potion worked itself through him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he stood roughly an hour later, he was glad to have the world stay firmly in place and not spin around like it had previously. That was a plus, at least. It was also easier to go back down to Forsythia. Easier to wait for her to press the muzzle on and even easier to touch her. He didn’t want to dwell on what that meant. He’d not put the rings back on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The third floor was crowded, though Draco wasn’t surprised. It made sense. They had a </span>
  <em>
    <span>celebrity</span>
  </em>
  <span> tucked behind one of the doors waiting to be tortured and he was certain everyone was around waiting to hear Granger’s agonized screams. The thought of it made him go cold. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wouldn’t be able to face her, not as he was now. Not so soon after he’d watched her writhe around his drawing room floor while Bella nearly killed her. Deciding he’d just send Forsythia in by herself relieved some of the tension in his shoulders, but once they reached the room, he felt it return full force. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think she’ll be able to take three or so bites. Once that’s done, wait for me. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t kill her</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He tacked it on at the end fully out of guilt. Almost being part of Granger’s death the one time was enough. Even though he couldn’t stand her, he couldn’t bring himself to harm her, much less watch her be harmed. Despite the Death Eater status, he wasn’t a monster. At least, he’d like to believe he wasn’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Forsythia only nodded her understanding, her eyes wide and locked on him. She looked like she was reading his face as if it was a book or a headline in the prophet, her eyes bouncing back and forth between his. Still watching her right back, Draco cracked the door open. Keeping his gaze locked on her, if only to force himself to not look into the room; to not look at Granger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She started to walk forward, muzzle still on, and he tightened his grip on her. If he hadn’t let her hold onto it at their previous interrogation why would she think he’d let her keep it during this one? It wasn’t proper. There was no reason for her to have to hold on to it, and she’d need her hands just in case Granger decided to fight back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give me the muzzle.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched as her eyes widened, watched them flit down to his mouth and then back to his eyes. His stomach did an annoying little flip that he promptly ignored. Suppressing a smirk, he let their fingers graze as she handed it over. Draco quirked his eyebrow and then lowered his eyes, hoping again that she understood what it was that he was attempting to communicate. That he was safe. That he wasn’t a threat. That he wasn’t challenging her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> It took her a moment to blink away the dazed look in her eyes, but once she did she slipped from his fingers and went inside without a backwards glance. He watched her go, hand still held up and fingers outstretched until the door swung and locked closed. The blood bond was getting stronger, he was sure of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco waited, leaning against the wall just to the left of the door and counting the minutes as they ticked by. Several times he glanced up to see if anyone in the atrium had gotten brave enough to come down to get a closer look, but so far they were left alone. Under the ticking of his watch and the sound of his heart thudding in his chest, he could hear a soft conversation going on in the room. It went back and forth for a moment before the screaming started. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco was instantly transported back to the manor, back to when Granger made those same sounds just feet from him. His brain started to feel fuzzy and it hurt slightly to breathe. He shook himself, shifting his focus from the memory of her agonized face to fully occluding himself deeper than he’d gone in a long time. Doll after doll nested in until he was completely on auto-pilot. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vaguely, he knew he waited another few minutes until he went in to collect her, couldn’t bring himself to even turn his body towards where she was hunched over and crying. Instead, he handed Forsythia the mask and then took her arm. There was a thrum under his touch that brought him up a few levels, but not until they were already back downstairs and as far away from Granger as was manageable without leaving the building. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Forsythia was shaking, her body somehow colder than usual. She kept her eyes closed as they entered the cell block and he brought them to a halt just outside her cell. Fearing the worst, Draco asked quietly, “Do you need a moment to be sick?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She twisted away from him, jolting as if he’d touched her with a forgotten ring. As she leaned back against the opposite wall, Draco subtly looked over his hand just in case there was a ring there, but found nothing other than his own pale hand. Forsythia made a choked sound, and he couldn’t stop himself before he jerked to look over at where she was still flattened back against the wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sinking feeling in his stomach made him feel like he was going to throw up. She thought he’d done that on purpose. Forsythia thought he was a monster. Even with the blood bond, she still despised him. He supposed he couldn’t blame her, but it made him hate himself a little more, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave her a few minutes, and when she settled some more he opened her cell for her. It was already a huge risk letting her stand on her own and out of his reach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if she was aware of the risk, too, she stumbled forward inside, and as the bars clunked back into place, Draco turned to look at her once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you drink from her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a simple enough question, and one he hoped she wouldn’t dwell on the motivation for. Of course, he wanted to make sure she was fine, but a very sick part of him wanted to know what she’d done to Granger. If it was worse than what Bella had done. If it was better, then that was all fine and good. If it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>worse, he’d have to go into a new self loathing period that would probably end with him exiling himself back to France. Worse still, he had been the one to make her do it, and he hadn’t even been man enough to watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not much, no.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Relief made his shoulders sag. No need to go back to France, then. Remembering himself, Draco forced himself back into his usual ramrod straight posture, “Pity. I’ll have something brought to you tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if he wasn’t carting himself back off to France, he was mentally exhausted and needed to rest before being around her again. Even then, with the bars between them, he felt the strange, new tug to stay close to her just on the off chance something bad happened. In order to soothe himself, Draco forced himself to remember that because of the mastering charm nobody would be able to get into her without his express permission. If anyone even tried without that, they’d be shocked so hard their skin would burst right off their fingers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When’s tomorrow?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blinked at her, the weight of his watch suddenly very heavy on his wrist. It had been such a simple slip of his tongue that he hadn’t even realized what he’d said. Though the windows prevented sunlight from harming the lot of them, it also made it so they never knew what time it was. She probably didn’t even know what day it was, all things considered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tomorrow, Thursday, is in thirteen hours. That’ll be eight in the morning. Are you going to tell me your watch is another item you desperately need?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched her shudder, curl in on herself at the cruel tone of his voice. Cursing himself, Draco turned on the spot and went directly to his room as soon as he landed in the entrance hall. Nobody called out to him from any of the drawing or sitting rooms, and he was rather glad for it. By the time he made it up and into his bathroom, he could barely stand. Even with the earlier blood replenishing potion he could feel himself weakening by the moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hisky!” he called, clutching the edge of the marble counter to stay upright. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elf popped right into the bathroom with him, and he didn’t feel at all embarrassed having her so close. Afterall, she’d grown up with him. Her own mother was his nanny. Hisky’s round eyes widened dramatically as she took him in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Master Draco?” she asked, a cautious hand already reaching out for him. He didn’t like worrying her, much preferred when she was sharp and sarcastic with him than when she stared at him with those absurdly massive eyes like he was on the brink of death. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need you to bring me some potions. Blood replenishing and dreamless sleep. Can you manage that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a flicker of annoyance in her expression, and she set her jaw before popping away. He swayed dangerously against the counter, having to sink down onto one knee in order not to break his head open against the marble. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hisky popped back, though she was empty handed. Rage burned through every layer Draco had built around himself until he was positively seething with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said-,’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hisky has left the potions on the table, Master Draco, so she is able to be picking you up and putting you in bed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-to bring me-.” He snapped his mouth shut, angry still but slightly less so. At least she was still willing to help him when he was being an arse. Just as she said, Hisky snatched his hand and hauled him up in a surprising show of strength. For such a small thing she certainly managed him just fine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took them a few minutes, seeing as Draco could barely move his feet properly, but once they made it out of the bathroom things were a bit easier. He kept one hand pressed against the wall as they went which helped keep him balanced as Hisky practically dragged him across his room. For a moment, Draco wondered if this was how Forsythia felt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thoroughly rattled, he was lost in his own mind for a few moments are Hisky forced him down into bed, then helped him take the potions before she turned and clambered up into the armchair he kept by the fire and pinned her eyes to him. He was losing his battle to the sleep potion, and it allowed him a sense of vulnerability. Pain, shame, and guilt flowed through him in harsh waves that nearly made him double over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hisky,” he said, hoping he was speaking loud enough over the buzz of dreamless sleep that was quickly taking him over, “you better not tell my mother I’m unwell.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hisky will be telling Mistress whatever Mistress tells her to.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He groaned, turning restlessly under his too heavy duvet before kicking weakly at it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Make yourself useful and...and have somebody take my pet her wristwatch tomorrow at eight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hisky is not understanding, Master Draco.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go to Oak Grove and make...Pettigrew, </span>
  <em>
    <span>whom-I-am-giving-express-permission-to</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>-enter-her-cell</span>
  </em>
  <span>, take </span>
  <em>
    <span>my pet </span>
  </em>
  <span>her watch. It’s...in her stuff in the..er.. potions lab. Eight...sharp. You’ll have to..to take some of my blood...for her..potion. Now, Hisky...do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she worked over him, the potion was working faster than he thought it would, and only a moment later he was asleep, scowling and grumbling at the elf who stood watch over him now that she was done collecting some blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His last thought was that he hoped more than anything Hisky would listen to him despite how annoyed she was. Even if he hadn’t promised out loud to Forsythia that he’d get her the watch, it seemed like the right thing to have done, and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>certainly</span>
  </em>
  <span> would not be waking up before eight in the morning to do it. It was the least he could do after probably traumatizing her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At some point, the potion wore off and Draco awoke ravenously hungry and in a dreadful mood. He shouted for Hisky, who did not turn up within thirty seconds, so he called for Dotty instead. If he couldn’t have Hisky, then surely his </span>
  <em>
    <span>nanny</span>
  </em>
  <span> would come to him? Where even were they all?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, there were no elves popped into his room. He waited a full five minutes before he forced himself up and shuffled out onto the landing. It was well into the afternoon, the sharp light of the sun burning his eyes until they teared. There certainly was a lot of noise coming from downstairs, but he couldn’t tell what exactly was going on. Grumbling under his breath, Draco dropped down the stairs and found himself staring at all of the furniture from the south drawing room. Only, it wasn’t in the south drawing room, it was strewn about the entryway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of the elves were bustling around, shouting and calling to each other as they shuffled the furniture around as new furniture was brought in through the open front doors. Apparently, for the sixth time that year, his father was rotating the aesthetic. As if there wasn’t a war going on. As if </span>
  <em>
    <span>aesthetics </span>
  </em>
  <span>were the most important things in the world. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beyond irked, Draco rolled his eyes and went back to his room. If Forsythia could go a few days without drinking, then surely he could make it a few hours to eat while he waited for the elves to be done catering to his father’s every whim. It didn’t even occur to him that he could do it himself; it never did.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Nottingham Manor.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you to my lovely beta SJ for her hard work on this chapter. Always appreciate her very capable eyes and mind &lt;3</p><p>*reposting due to some updates I missed from SJ*</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“You gave her the watch, yes?” Draco demanded, one hand curled around the musty lapel of Pettigrew’s robes. Normally, he would not allow himself to be so close to the foul man, but Pettigrew had been annoyingly vague when Draco asked if Hisky had found him a day or so previous. It was imperative that Forsythia got the watch. It would be his form of an apology, one he couldn’t actually give her yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you go see for yourself?” Pettigrew challenged. There was a flicker of fear in his face, though, which made Draco sneer down at him and snap back, “If I find that she’s missing it still I’ll throw you in with her and see who wins.” The fact that the pathetic little rat had the audacity to question his authority made him want to roll his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pettigrew visibly paled, “Sh-She’s not got a wand.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, good of you to remind me. I’ll make sure to take your wand before I throw you in, that way it’s a fair fight.” He shoved the smaller man backwards into the opposite wall and apparated down to where she was waiting for him. He could feel her, sitting tucked away in the cell safe as could be. His heart stuttered, but he couldn’t place the emotion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> The first thing he noticed once her cell came into view, was the small collection of empty potion bottles she’d accumulated. It gave him solace that she’d been eating regularly, because she could have refused and gotten sick. He banished them with a swish of his wand and then took a quick look around the rest of the little room. There was an empty thigh holster on the floor, which he thought odd, but seeing as there wasn’t a weapon within it, decided to overlook it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking at her sitting so pathetically on the stone floor made him feel incredibly guilty. He was able to go to his plush home with delicious food and comforting blankets after a stressful day. She had to sit on the cold floor in the dark and stare at the wall. Draco tried to push these feelings down, he didn’t want to be vulnerable right now. He wasn’t supposed to feel this way about his pet, none of his colleagues seemed to have any reservations about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as his eyes landed on her, hers opened. Had he woken her? Perhaps not, afterall, he’d spent several hours the previous day reading through the books from the library, several more recently published, and learned that Vampires didn’t sleep. Of course, they could fall unconscious if cursed or when they were starting to die. The section on the latter made his stomach twist painfully as he read through it, and though he’d never admit it outloud, he ended up skipping the more detailed aspects of their dying process. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flexing his newfound knowledge, he playfully scolded her, “Your kind don’t sleep, yet every time I come to fetch you, you have your eyes closed.” Apparently still not in the mood for joking, Forsythia gave him a one shoulder shrug as she rose up off the floor. When she bent to grab the mask, he chewed his lower lip, “Just a moment, actually.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d been given a new kind of assignment. Before seeing her, and before tormenting Pettigrew, Draco had gone to The Dark Lord after being summoned by him. The dark mark on his forearm still ached from how fiercely he’d been called. He would never get used to the burning pain that radiated through his entire arm whenever it was activated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>During their meeting, The Dark Lord explained that a Hogwarts teacher, Professor Vector, had been captured and it was their job to go interrogate her. Internally, Draco’s outermost doll creaked warningly and he winced. He’d had Professor Vector for four years. She wasn’t anywhere near the pain of encountering a schoolmate, but it still made his stomach twist with conflict.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If more and more people from his past kept turning up he’d have to seriously reconsider France. He entertained the idea of bringing Forsythia along to the chateau, perhaps, as a source of amusement, before rolling his eyes at himself. There was no way she’d go with him. She was merely his prisoner, and he was her captor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shocking him from his reverie, The Dark Lord ordered him to take Forsythia out of Oak Grove and into the field. He wanted to see how well she’d do, and Draco had to bite his tongue to keep from even thinking of arguing that she wasn’t ready. He knew what happened to those who questioned The Dark Lord, and he wanted no part of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In truth, he wasn’t sure if she was ready or not. She’d only done two interrogations, and just because those had been successful didn’t mean anything more than she was probably too afraid to disobey still. Even if she’d been alone with Granger, he still wasn’t sure he could trust her to do them alone all the time. More than that, he wasn’t sure if he could trust her to be around the other people in his unit. Sure, it wasn’t like she’d hurt any of </span>
  <em>
    <span>them, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but he felt a certain weariness having her around men. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Vampires were one thing, seeing as they were always caged when they were around each other. The other men on his unit, though… perhaps he did not trust them with her. They talked about the female Vampires as if they were a prize, and it made him feel sick. The amount of times someone had congratulated him about having a female was infuriating, and he knew exactly what they thought he was going to do. Bastards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His face felt warm as he snapped back to attention. Forsythia was half bent over, her hand just inches away from the mask. He noted her torn clothing and knew there was no way he could bring her with him like that. She looked rather annoyed with his silence, so he squared his shoulders and said, “You can’t leave wearing that.” That had done it, now she was offended. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco winced. Partly, it was the fact that she would be an easier target amongst their black uniforms if she stayed in the faded red top and badly torn denim jeans. But, going back to his own fear that the men in his unit would possibly make her very uncomfortable, he wanted her covered as much as possible. He knew it was preposterous, but he’d charmed the cloak with a stinging hex that would easily discourage any touching from anybody other than himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not? It’s never mattered before.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had to bite his tongue again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course it didn’t matter, I wasn’t taking you out around everyone before, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought bitterly to himself. It wasn’t helping that the spot in his chest where he felt the flicker of warmth from their golden string was warming the longer he stared at her. Figuring it was now or never, he explained the plan to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not interrogating here, today. I need to make sure you aren’t so easily distinguishable. If the Order does know we’re using </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> as a weapon then I don’t want them-,” Draco nearly choked. He’d been barely a second away from telling her that he’d be furious if they hurt her. Barely a second away from ruining everything. Damn this string. He still wasn’t even sure if he actually cared about her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He guessed that their blood bond would be well underway, and that certainly wouldn’t help either. Unfortunately, despite there being information on Vampires themselves, there was absolutely zero useful information on the blood bonds. He’d even gone as far as Lockhart’s book, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Voyages With Vampires”</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and came back even less educated and with a growing migraine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I getting a cloak or something then?” She demanded, eyes boring into him so brightly he was almost worried she might attack him if he entered the cell. The little tug in his chest urged him to go to her, though. To go to her and maybe whisper the backs of his fingers over her cheek, to brush her hair back behind her ear. It horrified him, and he knew she would snap his neck if she could hear his weird little thoughts. Even he wanted to snap his own neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The taste of iron filled his mouth as he clamped down on his tongue and took her new clothes from a pocket in his own cloak. They were his from several years ago, though of course the cloak was now charmed. The tug thrummed at the thought of her wearing his clothes, and, still bleeding from the tongue, decided to never tell her they were his. That would be too much. She’d probably be even more insulted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Forsythia stumbled over, eyes locked on the bundle with a curiosity he’d not seen in her yet. That was certainly exciting and promising. Maybe she liked getting gifts. If that was the case. He’d be more than willing to get her anything she desired. The second she was only a step or two away, though, she froze and went stiff. Draco watched, curious now, too, as her pupils dilated and her knees nearly gave out. The cell was still shut. Even if he wanted to reach out and stabilize her, he wouldn’t be able to open it fast enough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco braced as her hand flung out and gripped a bar between them. He chucked up another doll around himself, layering only two deep before Forsythia was already yanking her hand back with a pained gasp, her eyes squeezed into slits and her fangs just peeking out from under her upper lip. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weakly, she stumbled back a couple of steps from the bars, clearly afraid again. A stray tear dripped off her chin. Instantly, his chest was filled with fire and the immense urge to go to her, to take her palm in his hand and heal it with his wand and then with his lips. She was hurt, and for some reason she wasn’t healing, or at least, that was how it seemed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His voice shook when he asked, “Are you not healing?” Slowly, she lifted her eyes to his, still wincing in pain. It jolted him, seeing her eyes wide and scared again. He would need to be strong for her while she still became accustomed to their new dynamic. Niggling at the back of his mind was the thought that he should lower his eyes, but he couldn’t bring himself to look away. Surely, looking away would be the proper thing to do, to show her he wasn’t going to hurt her and that she was the one in charge, so to speak. Still, all he could do was add another doll to his growing mental collection and hope that he hadn’t given too much away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hesitated for a moment before she said, “I-uh, got dizzy, I’m fine now. I’ll change my clothes, I guess.” Draco cursed himself, guessing the blood in his mouth had somehow affected her. After making a mental note to see if there was anything on that sort of thing in any of the books he’d already combed through, Draco felt his chest tighten apprehensively. Had he not been feeding her enough? Was she getting sick? Had the bars shocked her too badly and addled her mind?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re unwell we can’t work tonight. Are you still thirsty?” he asked, holding his tongue when he started to ask her more questions. He sounded like a hovering mum, and it made him want to cut his tongue out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” she insisted, sounding almost petulant. Half expecting her to stomp her foot at him, Draco gave in. If she said she was fine then there was nothing he could do to continue to keep her hidden away. Every time he tried to give her an out she just blindly went along with him like he hadn’t given the choice in the first place. A sickening thought made him wonder if she couldn’t say no, because of the mastering charm. The implications were painful, and he had to occlude himself even further until he was barely aware of what was happening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He unlocked the cell, stepped inside, then locked it again. Even if he was frustrated with her lack of self preservation, he couldn’t ignore the tugging any longer. That, and the near certainty that she would not hurt him led him forward to unlock her cell, then lock it once more once he was inside with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It felt like he’d barely moved at all but then he was right in front of her and the tugging turned more insistent, like he should take her waist and brush that loose strand of hair behind her ear. The matryoshkas crumbled away until it was almost exclusively him standing there before the dark thing Forsythia was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is..that bond, isn’t it? This feeling.” Something forced him to keep his eyes down as she reached out for the new clothes. He held fast, though, keeping them firmly in his hand so she couldn’t take them so quickly. He wished he hadn’t said anything, but maybe they could find solace in knowing they were miserable together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What feeling?” Christ, she sounded breathless. Draco forced his mental defenses back in place, though he couldn’t bring his eyes to lift more than an inch higher from where they’d landed somewhere near her knee. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The, er…well, I’m not sure how to explain it.” The golden thread conversation was not going to happen anytime soon, but the blood bond may be an easier direction to go. If he could only get his mouth to work properly. Like a candle flickering to life, Draco felt the urge to assert at least some kind of control over the situation. It always happened when he felt vulnerable. In the past, he would usually resort to insults at this point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tearing his eyes from her hip, he felt her try to take the clothes from him again. “Look at me,” he demanded, still keeping her new outfit from her. He needed to see that she would listen to him when he asked her to and not when he simply forced her with the mastering charm. To his utter delight, her chin lifted and then he was staring down into her eyes. Too blue, he decided, flat like a thestral or maybe a snake. Predatory. Then, slowly, as if she expected him to understand the same way he’d hope she would, her eyes lowered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before either of them could do something stupid, he thrust the bundle forward into her still waiting arms. “Get changed.” Still dazed, she did as he said. The exact moment she reached for her top, he turned swiftly away and locked his eyes on the corner she usually mashed herself into. It was far enough away that he wouldn’t catch anything out of the corner of his eye, thus giving her at least some privacy. It did not escape his notice, however, when she tossed her dirty clothes down onto the floor of the cell, a softly floral scent wafting up, like she’d been wearing perfume. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It helped keep his focus until she was fully dressed. Seeing her in his clothes was not at all what he’d expected. Yes, they were plain and black and looked the exact same as every other uniform the other Death Eaters wore. They were identical, down to the number of stitches across the bottom hem of the shirt. However, </span>
  <em>
    <span>knowing</span>
  </em>
  <span> that they had come from his closet, that he’d worn them at some point before they’d been laundered for her, did incredible things to that thrumming in his chest. It felt like the golden thread was being dipped and slid through honey. It was so powerful that he nearly felt nauseous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barely aware of himself, he held the cloak out next, hoping she wouldn’t immediately notice the stinging hex and ask him any questions. If she did, he’d have to disappoint her with non-answers and snippy replies. He didn’t want to disappoint her. For her own good, he prayed to any god that would listen to his whining for her not to ask. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like an afterthought, he remembered the knife weighing down in another pocket of his traveling cloak. When he’d been up with Severus tending to the cauldrons, he’d gone poking around while they waited for the moonstone to simmer with the daffodil roots and found one last thing where her boots had been set. The blade was dull, though when he’d picked it up magic shot up his arm and twisted around his elbow like a vice. Startled, he’d stared down at it until there was a shimmer in the air around it. As if it were melting, the knife flickered away until he was holding a wand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus snapped at him to transfigure it back and then had promptly kicked him out. So, her wand, which he’d transfigured back into a blade much less fitting for his pet than he would have liked, was now in his possession. Depending on what she did with it while they were away, he may let her keep it to some degree. Maybe they could transfigure it into a piece of jewelry. He knew that he could get in major trouble if anybody found out, and it was almost exhilarating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a wave of his own wand, Draco unlocked her cell so they could leave it together. “For this outing-,” he said, trying to keep his tone even, “-you’re allowed to have your knife-,” she jolted at his side, “-however, if you use it on anybody for any reason other than true self defense, I won’t hesitate to incapacitate you. Is that clear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Forsythia nodded along with him, eyes already flickering over him as if she expected it to be within her sight. No, she’d have to wait until they were out of Oak Grove. Sure, he could give her something to defend herself with once they were out in the field, but while they were still within the prison walls she’d have to be patient. There could be no room for error, no room for anybody looking upon them to get the wrong idea and act before thinking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She bounced around, securing the empty holster to her thigh and seeming very pleased with the turn of events. He almost chuckled. Almost. Once he schooled his expression back into a disinterested mask, he snapped at her to put the muzzle on. Afterall, she’d just been zapped by the bars and he didn’t want her to get another dose of it by walking out without the mask on. As soon as she was back at his side, he took her elbow and turned on the spot, guiding her along with him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could tell she was not accustomed to this kind of travel because the moment they landed in the dark lane, she nearly fell backwards on her arse. Before she had the chance, he jerked to grab onto her shoulders, the vibrations from their golden thread or, perhaps, the blood bond singing through him at the contact. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All at once, she shifted under him, her eyes going wide as she took in the narrow dirt road. Under her mask he could hear her breath coming out in short pants, her shoulders shivering as she tasted the air. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t pull her into his chest to calm her; there were too many others standing too closely. Curse this stupid blood bond, he thought to himself bitterly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Macnair, Avery, Crabbe, Goyle, Flint, Mulciber and Jugson stood around them in a loose semi-circle, their uniform full face masks on and their wands drawn. Draco decided not to waste any time in arming the girl, and pulled her knife from his cloak before slipping it down in the holster she’d so excitedly strapped to her upper thigh. He’d moved too quickly, not warned her that he’d be touching her, and she jolted sideways away from him. Draco held his breath. If he had to stun her now there could be consequences that he’d have to face for not being able to keep her under control. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if she knew this, too, Forsythia skittered back towards him barely a breath later, her eyes locked on his and her body relaxed once more. Relief swelled through him and he had to keep himself from audibly sighing as he took her arm again, encouraging her forward down the lane with him while their unit for the evening following just a few steps behind in the same semi-circle fashion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d only been walking about a minute when Forsythia snorted, the sound softened by the muzzle. Draco took a moment before he asked gently, “Eager?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can smell the blood from here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit. Maybe he really hadn’t been feeding her enough. He worked on layering himself away into the nesting dolls, returning her snort as he worried his bottom lip between his teeth. If she truly wasn’t being fed enough then he’d need to up the amount of potions she was getting, which would spur on their blood bond. He had no idea what that would lead to, but guessed Blaise would be able to explain it seeing as he and Ash seemed to be getting rather close. Plus, there was no telling what their golden thread would do in response to the blood bond, as well. Would it make the string stronger or would it threaten to take over completely?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being fully occluded helped ease some of his worries, and he was able to sweep his own full face mask on as they continued towards the gap in the hedge. He smirked to himself, “You know,” he started, “you’re being given a great honor tonight. We’re seeing an old professor from Hogwarts. You went there, didn’t you?” he tried to ask casually, hoping to pry into her life a bit more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she didn’t answer him, or show any sign that she’d heard him, even, he squeezed her arm gently. He knew how tied up in his own mind he was, he couldn’t imagine how she was feeling being out in the open for the first time in weeks. How overwhelming it must be. The outermost doll gave a warning shudder, and he quickly pushed all empathetic thoughts from his mind. He couldn’t do this right now, couldn’t humanize her when they were expected to work in an even more stressful condition than was the norm. She gave him a little nod, just barely a dip of her chin to confirm that she had gone to Hogwarts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something in the back of his mind shivered, like a memory melting in and out of view. He couldn’t tell if it was a true memory, or if he was just picturing her long hair swaying as she walked ahead of him, black school robes rippling out behind her as she went. He shook himself. This couldn’t happen right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the midst of his anxious, rapid thoughts, Draco almost missed the gap in the hedge. They were supposed to neatly file through, silent and deadly, but instead he jerked and yanked Forsythia through with him just before they passed it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sweeping lawns reminded him of his own home; everything was so neatly manicured and well taken care of. The house loomed gloomily in the distance, rising up from the ground and sitting ghostly in the moonlight. More than his own feelings, though, he could feel some of hers slipping through to him. She was nervous, incredibly so. Or, at least, that was what he guessed was happening seeing as he was not intimidated by the manor ahead of them in any way. It was too familiar, though it was a bit smaller than his family’s estate if he was honest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, the intimidation was certainly not his own feeling, and guessing from how stiff Forsythia had gone, he could only assume it was her. Subtly, he turned over his shoulder and gave her what he hoped was a firm but comforting nod and said, “Stay calm.” As soon as their eyes met, hers locked onto him. She didn’t respond, but he could almost see her mind working as she glanced from him back up to the house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took her there, his thumb pressing against her skin in a slow, hopefully comforting rhythm, right up to the steps and the front door. As they climbed up towards the main entrance, he felt her shift, and then he could tell something was wrong. However he’d felt her intimidation, he now felt her stab of fear.  All at once, she wasn’t walking, her feet stuck firmly to the veranda like she’d done when she wanted her boots back. He doubted now she was stopped because she wanted something. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, her fear was racing now, pushing his own heart to thump wildly. By the time he’d barely opened her mouth to ask her what was wrong, she was already clinging to him. She’d twisted her arm around in his loose grasp enough to close her fingers around his forearm in a vice, the same way her wand had done when he’d first picked it up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was mumbling, barely speaking loud enough for him to hear as her eyes started to glaze over, “We shouldn’t..this is…” she trailed off, shaking her head weakly and then gasping as if she couldn’t breathe properly. But she didn’t need to breathe, he thought, concerned and also curious as to what was happening to her. Her eyes bulged, fingers starting to shake against him as she tugged him closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on?” Macnair called, their unit still a few paces behind them. Draco shot them a warning glance from under his mask and leaned into Forsythia instead, throwing caution to the wind and asking her softly what it was they shouldn’t be doing. Her scraping breath made him go cold. What was happening to her? Why wasn’t she speaking to him like she usually did? Another wave of her fear shot through him as her eyelids fluttered. What the hell was happening?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco started to ask her again what she was on about, how he could help, but a spell went whizzing over his head with a blast of heat. He ducked just in time, wrapping one arm around her waist and forcing them to the left. With one hand on the back of her head to keep her tucked down in front of him and the other tight on her waist, Draco shouted to the other Death Eaters to get a move on, to figure out what was happening. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Light flashed out from the manor, spell after spell raining down on them in a barrage of magic. Jugson fell first, hit by several curses in the chest. When he hit the ground, Draco knew he was dead. He’d barely gotten his own wand raised before there was a sharp jerk and they were apparating. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first thing he felt was confusion, then dread, as he realized what she’d done. Draco took over immediately, and he was glad when she allowed him to. Thinking of nowhere safer for her in that moment, he took them directly into Interrogation room number seven. The door would stay locked, she’d be hidden away from anyone else, and he’d be able to take care of her once Nottingham was figured out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The exact moment they landed, he made sure she could stand on her own before he felt the magic swirl up in his throat, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Stay here. Don’t move.” </span>
  </em>
  <span> She was safe, tucked away exactly as she needed to be, and with the command she’d be unable to follow him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco forced himself to apparate back to the manor, his body tightly wound and ready to fight. He’d sent himself around the side of the manor, away from the front entrance where most of the shouting was still coming from and away from where he’d be easily seen. There was no telling how many people were inside, but there was also no time to lay low. He’d need to take care of this as quickly as possible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were several entrances along the west side of the manor, and Draco crept into the darkest, quietest option with his wand drawn and his hood up. The wood floor under him was new, no squeaking or soft spots as he moved slowly across the dining room he’d found himself in. There was no sign of a struggle, no sign of anybody else, so he worked his way out into what seemed to be the main hallway and forward towards where the light of spells was flicking in the distance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As an added precaution, Draco disillusioned himself once he was a bit closer. If he could catch whoever it was by surprise, then maybe he’d be able to be able to make their escape look unpreventable. As it turned out, though, the only curse he got hit with was one from Macnair, who got a little too hex happy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, mate, sorry!” He called as Draco gave him a furious glare as he wiped the blood away from his sliced eyebrow. From what he could tell, it looked like whoever it was had already disapparated, and most of his unit was all that was left in the otherwise empty manor. Jugson’s body had already been vanished, and the rest of them were milling about the entry hall. “Did you sweep the premises?” Draco asked, slipping his wand back into its holster on his arm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did indeed. Not a thing. The whole place has been cleaned top to bottom. Not even a spoon left in the kitchen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Interesting. Did you see who it was?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The polyjuice was only just starting to wear off. All I got was a glimpse of red hair, so probably a Weasley.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco sneered at the opposite wall, rolling his eyes and relaxing his posture some. Of course it had been a trap, it had been too good to be true. There was no longer a threat and they’d already taken care of sweeping through the place. With all of that done, and with most of the team in one piece, he quickly excused himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shove that Vamp back in her cell?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rounded on Avery whose jeering smile quickly faded. “It’s actually thanks to her that most of us are still alive. Now, if you’ll all finish up here, which between the six of you I’m sure you’ll be able to manage, I’ll be taking my leave.” His tone sounded far too defensive, and he hoped nobody had caught on with that. With that, he apparated back to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Expecting her to be sitting at least at the table, or maybe in the corner like she seemed to like to when she was in her cell, Draco was stunned to find her facedown on the floor nearly in a puddle of her own sick. Only, the sick wasn’t-regular. It was smoking and...foamy? Draco vanished it before he could look too closely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Forsythia?” he asked, hoping to get her attention before he touched her so she wouldn’t jolt the way she had when he returned her wand. She twitched, whimpering something as she grimaced. He tried again, calling her name just a bit louder, but when she didn’t respond at all he dropped to his knees next to her and rolled her up into his arms as gently as he could. Her face was so pale, the capillary veins under her eyes darker than usual, a few of them were burst. Had she been screaming? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything went into overdrive. One moment he was just holding her and the next he was ordering her, magic flowing through him relentlessly, to open her eyes and look at him. Heavy-lidded blue eyes met his and then everything relaxed by a fraction. She was still with him. She was still with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” she asked, barely able to speak from the scraping sound of her voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was a trap. The professor was an Order member using polyjuice potion. The second it wore off they set off some kind of silent alarm and then..well, you saw.” he said, then added quietly, “I didn’t know you could apparate. None of the other Vampires have ever been able to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew why she could, but he wanted to see if she’d fess up. Instead of just telling the truth, apparently he’d already pushed her too far too soon because her eyes slipped closed again and he had to shake her and order her to stay awake for him again. His heart was beating so fast he thought it would burst. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was shaking again, grunting in pain and trying to push away from him. He didn’t care if she threw up right there in his lap as long as he could make sure she wouldn’t choke and die on any of it. “Shh, relax, relax. Tell me what’s wrong. Did you get hit?” he asked, wrestling her back flat against his thighs and chest. If he had any chance to help, she’d need to stay still, particularly if she had been hit with anything. Fear coursed through his veins at the thought of her being hurt...again because of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “N-No, something was in the air, in the blood, that’s what..” her eyebrows pushed together as she tried to explain. He jumped right in for her, “I know, I saw that you were sick again. We don’t know exactly what it was, possibly a response to Hornstrand telling them about you. Do you..-,” he wasn’t sure how to say out loud what it was that he was trying to say. Deciding to just be a bit clear, he continued, “Do you need something to be able to walk?” She was so weak in his arms, even while struggling he could tell it was very taxing for her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She took a jagged, shaky breath in and nodded. Draco shot into action, yanking his wand free and shoving his sleeve back so he could feed her properly. Why he hadn’t thought to do it sooner, he didn’t know, but the searing pain of the slice left in the wake of his wand tip made him grit his teeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-No-not, not like that. I can-I can, I can walk, I’m fine-,” Forsythia shoved at him again, and he nearly lost his grip on her. Luckily, she was incredibly weak now and he had no trouble locking her back into place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine, I’ll make you stop if you go too far. I need you to be able to walk, I can’t carry you through the third floor there are too many people. There would be too many questions.” He tried to get her to understand. They already knew he’d gone back to her, that they’d apparated away the moment there was danger instead of using her as a shield the way everyone else used their Vampire charges. If he walked out with her slung up into his arms there was no telling what sort of rumors would fly, what questions would be asked. He couldn’t face that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stilled some, apparently understanding the position they were now in. Reminding him very much of the last time he’d had to take a foul tasting potion, Forsythia shook her head weakly as he guided her lips to his wrist. She held out until the blood brushed against her lips, and then it was like he was seeing her for the first time all over again. It struck him that he should feel nervous about being drained by a Vampire, but he was filled with pure fascination instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her body sagged in his arms. For a moment, he was worried he’d been too late, but then her tongue swiped over the wound firmly, and he held back a hiss as the pressure sent prickles of pain up through his arm. It faded as she drank from him, disappeared completely once she could hold herself up and practically cling to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the strangest feeling, one that was neither good nor bad. Or maybe it was good. Draco couldn’t decide, but he knew he didn’t hate it. He wondered if it would get stronger as their blood bond did. The only thing he felt was a slight buzzing, and his heart was beating a little harder than usual, perhaps to keep up with the slight blood loss. She was closer to him than she ever had been, and he also didn’t hate that either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco fought back a smile once her hands locked him in place, though he couldn’t contain himself when she snuggled up into his chest and rested her cool weight into him. It felt like a wall broke down between them, and he couldn’t help but feel triumphant. He let out a soft hum, holding her waist with his free hand before he called her off while his own will power remained intact, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Enough.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’ll bring you a potion in the morning. You need to rest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instantly, she was leaning away from him, blood staining her lips red and her eyes blown wide and glazed over. She kept her hands locked on his arm for a few seconds, which he allowed because her touch was making their thread glow through him, and once she seemed to remember that she’d need to let him go, she did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He closed the wound and forced himself to stand, a bit woozy himself. Forsythia followed, though he kept his hands hovering around her just on the off chance she was still unstable. Without thinking, he summoned the mask up off the floor and held it out for her to set her face into. She jerked away from it, grimacing and wincing like the sight of it hurt her. All she did was blink at him once she cracked her eyes open. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thia…” he said, surprising himself at the sudden nickname. Where had that come from?  He understood her apprehension but was trying to convey that this was the only way for now. At least until he could keep her somewhere safer where they didn’t have so many people watching them all the time. She gave him a sigh, then pressed her face into the muzzle without any other complaints. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though she was doing a fine job at standing still, Draco guessed that walking would be a whole other story. It felt natural to take her arm, holding some of her weight in his hand as he slowly guided them out of the room and back downstairs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The third floor was a nightmare; full of Vampires and Death Eaters. Apparently their assignment hadn’t been the only one to backfire that night. He’d barely glanced around, but from what he could see, it looked like quite a few Vampires were nursing injuries. He focused back on keeping her on her feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They made it to the bottom of the stairs without incident, but then Forsythia sagged and very nearly fell right out of his grasp and onto the floor. Now that she’d had some of his blood, he had to properly wrestle her around after trying to encourage her to bite which apparently she thoroughly did not appreciate one bit. Finally, after they both were struggling to the point of actual exertion, Draco simply swung her up over his shoulder and apparated them across the cell block to her cage. Once he stepped in with her, though, he froze. There was nowhere nice for him to set her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t..I’ve just realized you don’t have a bed. Do you need something to…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To what? To lie her upon like a princess? Draco became very aware that her arse was just to the left of his face, her hip jabbing into the top of his shoulder. He didn’t like dwelling on how he felt about that, so as usually he ignored it and made quick work of summoning a bed for her. He called it from the closest residence the Malfoy family owned - a rather humble rowhouse in a village only fifteen minutes from where Oak Grove sat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As gently as he could, He set her down onto the bed and reminded her that he’d need the knife back now that their assignment was done with. She looked dismayed, to say the least, her expression withdrawn and sad. A pang went through him, and it seemed like all he ever did was upset her. When he started to reach for the knife, he froze, asking for her permission first before he plucked it out of her holster and tucked it away safely in his cloak once more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her expression darkened, and he felt her fear tingle through him again. She was scared to be without it. Without even thinking, he moved to comfort her, “You’ll be safe in here even without it. It’s only by my wand or on my direct instruction that anybody can open the bars.” As if she didn’t believe him, or maybe didn’t care, Forsythia turned away and settled onto her side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco chewed the inside of his cheek, not sure what else to do for her considering she clearly didn’t want to see him at the moment. It struck him that maybe she never liked seeing him, and that made him feel even worse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hoping to show her that he wasn’t as horrible as she thought, he reached down and untied her boots, sliding them off and then setting them on the ground at the foot of her bed. There was no reason for her to be uncomfortable, and resting with heavy boots on certainly seemed uncomfortable. Then, he took her mask away, too, and set it next to her shoes. It was the least he could do after such an ordeal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright? I mean, will you be okay to stay here tonight on your own?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His guard was completely let down, and there was nothing he could do about. Nothing he wanted to do about it. Each layer of the nesting doll stripped away until suddenly the room sharpened and he realized he was leaning over a very grouchy looking Vampire. Not just a Vampire, though, </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>His</span>
  </em>
  <span> pet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Forsythia only shrugged at him, and he tried to comfort her again by saying, “I’m going to have you moved somewhere else first thing tomorrow. I’ll get a portkey set up tonight for you to take. You’re too valuable now to be far away from me in a cell.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t mind it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d chewed the words out, speaking between clenched teeth like him being near her was physically painful. Or, maybe she was still in pain from whatever had happened to her at the manor? He couldn’t be sure. What he was sure of, though, was that he was rather irked that she was trying to get him to let her stay in the cell when it so clearly frightened her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want to..stay here?” he asked, his eyebrows meeting as he glared down at her. Sure, while he was occluded he could be something that resembled patient, but without all the layers keeping him closed in he was suddenly free to be very impatient and very sarcastic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her ignoring him only added to his growing anger, “I’m having you moved. That’s final.” he snapped at her, hands balling into fists as he strode away from her and out of her cell. With a sharp wave of his wand, her cell locked itself up tightly, and he disapparated up to the potion’s lab. If he was going to get her out of Oak Grove, he needed to set everything up so there would be no delay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though he didn’t want to admit it, it annoyed him that she didn’t seem to like him. Of course he couldn’t blame her, but it felt like he was the only one affected by their bond. Was this normal? Was he just meant to suffer while she silently hated everything about him? A few years ago he would’ve tried to force her to like him, but he didn’t like the thought of that now. He wanted her to like him on her own accord, and set to work with making that happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first thing he started with was setting up the portkey. He snapped at Gwen or whatever her name was in the portkey office on the fifth floor, had her set something up for Forsythia to take the next morning. Once that was done, he called for Pettigrew and ordered him to escort Forsythia to the portkey. It took a little convincing of the physical variety, but Pettigrew eventually agreed. Then, Draco apparated back to the manor to prepare to move himself into the rowhouse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think you’re doing?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Growing Pains.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A huge thank you to my wonderful, stellar beta SJ, who keeps me going and encourages me to strive to be better even when I'm exhausted from life. Also, a massive shoutout to yami_leth04 who left really sweet comments on Amantes Odi. I appreciate comments and kudos and all those nice things.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“What do you think you’re doing?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco’s head snapped up from where he was charming his clothes to fold themselves into his trunk. His mother was leaning sideways against the door frame, half in half out of his bedroom with her arms crossed across her chest. She looked incredibly suspicious, and the knot in his stomach tightened further. He suddenly decided he didn’t want her to know anything about his plan, though knew this was a losing battle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Packing?” he offered as the jumper he had tried to send into the trunk fell into a heap on the floor as his focus shifted. It was obvious now to his mother that he was hiding something, he could practically feel it rolling off of her in waves. Her brow was furrowed in the middle and she looked as if she had smelled something rather unpleasant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve been sent on a mission?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Er...sort of.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sort of? Explain. Now.” He winced. Her tone showed no room for defiance and he realized he couldn’t lie his way out of this. He’d never been able to lie to his mother anyway, she always saw right through it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She saved me at Nottingham Manor. Or, at least, she thought she did.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mother paled, “Did anyone see? Have they asked any questions? Do they suspect-?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. That’s why I’m having her moved. Things are getting...too obvious now to keep her at Oak Grove.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are you going? The chateau?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The rowhouse, actually. It’ll be easier to aparate to Oak Grove from there than it would be from France.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Somehow, more color drained from her face, “You’re-You’ll be taking her </span>
  <em>
    <span>back</span>
  </em>
  <span>? You’re not taking her into hiding?” He winced at the harsh rushing of her voice. That was the tone she usually reserved for when he was doing something particularly stupid. He briefly wondered if he should even attempt to hide Forsythia, but it made his head hurt at the logistics. It wasn’t possible. And a cowardly part of him was afraid to admit that the logistics scared him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not like I can fake my death, mother. That will raise more questions than removing her from the cell block.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her expression suddenly matched her tone when they locked eyes, and Draco’s cheeks burned as he felt her magic prod at his mind. At first, he nestled himself deeply into the dolls, layer after layer, but the more she insisted the weaker his defense became. To be fair, he hadn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> tried. It’s not as if his mother was a master Occlumens. Perhaps it was easier to let his mind explain instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All at once, he wasn’t alone in the smallest doll. She was there with him, too, looking through what happened at Nottingham and then what happened after; how he’d held Forsythia in his lap and let her drink from his wrist. How his heart had nearly exploded when he thought she’d been seriously injured. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Your soul bond is strong. The blood bond is still forming but strong, too.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ah. Wonderful.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He’d tried to sound sarcastic, but failed miserably. It was all a front, because that scared him too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As quickly as she’d slipped into his mind, she slipped right out. Draco braced himself against the mantle of his fireplace and heaved in a breath as if he’d been holding it the entire time she’d been looking through his mind. At least it was nothing like when Snape or Voldemort tried to fight their way into his mind. That always hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So..the Rowhouse?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If that’s alright with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While he caught his breath, his mother gave him a single nod, seeming to consider it before she attempted a bright smile, though it looked a bit more like a grimace, “Of course. You’re very much allowed to go where you please.” A lie, they both knew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you feel better if I promise to bring her around to meet you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a proper smile now warming her face, his mother’s eyes flashed mischievously, “Does that mean you’re no longer cross with me over the fated connection between the two of you, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So it would seem.” Another lie, but he couldn’t blame her. He couldn’t really deny fate much longer, especially after everything that had happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She left him, turning on her heel and closing his door gently behind her, looking more pleased than he’d seen her in weeks. Draco sagged against the mantle and pinched the bridge of his nose. What had he done? What had </span>
  <em>
    <span>they </span>
  </em>
  <span>done? If she was to live with him, to meet his mother and possibly learn about their underlying connection that was separate from the blood bond and the mastering charm, then what would happen if they...if they…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t let himself think of it. Not how her waist felt in his hand, not how her eyes</span>
</p><p>
  <span>stayed locked on his when they were close, and certainly not how her lips felt pressed against his wrist just below his mark. No, he wouldn’t allow it. It was too early, too soon, for them to even broach the subject of the mastering charm and how they’d have to end up breaking it. He shuddered, but still found himself remembering those things, and imagining more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco slammed his fist into the wood, his fingers shaking from the intensity of his grip. There was no way he’d even think of her in that way, particularly not when he didn’t even know how old she was. He schooled his mind, pulling the nesting dolls close and adding several of them until he felt back in control and not like some hormone crazed schoolboy. He’d been raised better than that, and certainly to have more respect for women than he was currently conveying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He spent the rest of the night packing his things away, and then finally well after midnight, he went down to the main fireplace in the entry hall. Hisky was waiting by the grate, a little rucksack strapped to her back while she bounced on the balls of her feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hisky?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mistress is telling Hisky to be going with you, Master Draco. Mistress is saying you is needing help!” He should have seen that coming after he’d told his mother. It was just another complication, but he wasn’t about to say no to the headstrong little elf.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His teeth ground together, his jaw clicking, “Wonderful.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mistress is telling Hisky she is going to be having a-a witch to be taking care of, too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco’s stomach flipped. A </span>
  <em>
    <span>witch</span>
  </em>
  <span>?! Had his mother not shared that Forsythia was not </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> a witch? The hand that gripped his wand twitched as he set his trunk down with a soft thump. After the initial shock, he knew it was the right call. Vampires were feared by many in the magical community, and Hisky wouldn’t be much help if she thought Forsythia might hurt her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hisky, Forsythia is..er..she’s a very good witch. I’ll need you to hold a cease fire on our usual callus nonsense and perhaps act as more of an elf and less as a rotten sibling.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hisky is not understanding.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need you to be more like Dobby was. Do you remember him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hisky remembers Dobby. Master Draco is wanting Hisky to be very jumpy?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, exactly. I don’t believe that Forsythia has ever been around elves, so I need you to be on your best behavior with her.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elf gave him a little salute, “Hisky will be being just as Dobby was, Master Draco. Hisky will make her Mistress proud!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco smirked down at her, then gestured towards the fireplace, “Shall we, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded, her ears flopping about her head as she reached up and took his hand. They stepped into the fire together, and Hisky threw in a healthy handful of floo powder while Draco called out for the Rowhouse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was dark when they stepped out into the sitting room, and Hisky went about lighting all the lamps with a click of her fingers. Once he was bathed in warm light, she set to work readying the house for living while he waited in the sitting room by the merrily cracking fire. Something about it felt almost normal, and not like he was suddenly sitting in a rush of otherwise quiet as he awaited the arrival of his Vampire pet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the past, he’d lived without his parents, moving between countries on missions for The Dark Lord. He’d been to Lithuania and Portugal and Rome. However, in the last few months there was a certain comfort he’d taken in being in his family’s home. With having his mother typically within shouting range, though he never shouted to her. There was a reassurance in not being alone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being in the sitting room, in the quiet, though, Draco found himself thinking of Forsythia again. Wondering if she was alright, if she’d had enough to eat. Or, drink, rather. If she was comfortable in her bed. Draco pushed himself up and forced himself to go upstairs, up to the bedrooms. Of course, one stood empty, seeing as its bed was with Forsythia, and the other was rather drab, too, the single bed looking rather uncomfortable and boring for his own taste. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He drew his wand and did a quick bit of transfiguration on it, changing it into a handsome four poster with gray hangings and enough pillows to surely please a king. The linens had barely fluttered into place before he used a doubling charm to create a perfect copy for the empty room. Taking measured strides, he went into what would be her room and glared at the enormous amount of extra pillows, figuring as she did not sleep she probably would not need so many. Instead, he transfigured them into books. Any book he could think of until just three pillows were left and the bookshelf across the room looked more filled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Did she even like to read? Draco scowled, summoning a few more texts from the manor’s library from when he was in school. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hogwarts: A History, Standard Book of Spells - Year Four, Intermediate Transfiguration, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Advanced Rune Translation </span>
  </em>
  <span>came popping into existence across the top shelf. He ran his fingers over each spine, pleased that they were all in such good condition considering what a nonce he’d been during his school years. Sure, he’d been a rather decent student, usually second best in most classes, but he’d not cared enough about his school supplies to keep many of them in one piece. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Master Draco, Hisky has been making you a dinner!” Hisky called from downstairs. Draco swore under his breath and went down to her, rolling his eyes when she gave him a haughty look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When Forsythia arrives tomorrow morning you’ll need to be on your best behavior,” he reminded her, raising an eyebrow when she scoffed at him. Deciding to ignore her, he sat himself down at the place she’d set for him on the dining room table and was rather surprised when the food she’d made was lovely. He made sure to tell her, intent on their cease fire. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hisky said something snarky right back, though her tone was a bit softer than it had been previously. He hoped she’d be able to get into character before Forsythia arrived; as he’d said, he was certain she wasn’t used to elves, particularly not his dynamic with Hisky specifically. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hisky, would you be able to go see Severus at Spinner’s End? I need a supply of blood replenishing potions brought here but I need to get to bed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Once dishes are being done, Hisky will go.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hisky turned her big eyes to him, giving him an appraising sort of glance as she vanished his empty plate and wine glass and disappeared into the kitchen. He’d barely gotten back upstairs and into bed before he fell right to sleep. Even if he woke up barely four hours later, it still was restful to some extent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miss Forsythia is set to arrive any minute, Master Draco!” Hisky’s voice squeaked up the stairs, and when he poked his head out the door to look down at her, she was cowering at the bottom of the stairs and fidgeting with her tea towel. He couldn’t help but feel just as nervous as she did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Part of him felt like he should impress her, but scoffed at that. Compared to being a vampire, he was hardly impressive. In his school years, his sense of bravado was over the top to compensate for his feelings of inadequacy. Now, he just hoped she at least felt safe and hated it less than living in a cell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed. I’ll be down shortly. Remember, Hisky. Best behavior.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded her little head, eyes bulging and ears flapping. He suppressed a smile and instead turned back to his trunk and got dressed. By the time he did make it downstairs, there was only one minute left before Forsythia would hopefully materialize into the back garden, had Pettigrew done as he’d been told. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A ripple of anger warmed just under his skin at the thought of the rat not doing as he’d said. If he’d not followed orders, then Draco would simply track him down and remind him very physically where he was in the pecking order of their army. With fifteen seconds to go, Draco pushed himself off from where he’d been leaning lazily against the counter in the kitchen and strolled across the room to the back door where he waited for her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a flash of magic, and then there she was. In his clothes, blinking into the sunlight. Draco went cold. Why had he brought her in the morning? Sure, the garden was shaded, but he instantly felt like an idiot. He threw the door open after occluding himself and called out to her, “At least Wormtail did one thing correctly. Come out of the sun and take that wretched thing off.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a simple slip, but he knew how much she didn’t like the mask, and he’d already decided to not have her wear it in the house. What was the point? She hadn’t gone after him yet. Plus, it made her look more like a possession. And maybe he liked looking at her face sometimes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she passed him on her way in, that same floral smell that seemed to cling to her danced up into his face, and he nearly drove his fingers through the wood of the door in his attempt to keep from embracing her in greeting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You don’t know how old she is, it’s too soon still, stop being a twat, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he snapped mentally to himself. For good measure, he added another layer around himself and pulled it tight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was easier to lead her through into the kitchen. There was a jab of worry, though, when he watched her hair shimmer as she swayed slightly, her eyes round and stuck on him as they shared the space of the kitchen. Even if it wasn’t as though her nose was pressed into an open wound, he figured she could smell him; especially after having his blood right from the source. With her next step, though, he saw her knee shake and before he could stop himself, his hand shot out and he grabbed onto her upper arm to steady her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You must be thirsty,” he offered, feeling again like an idiot. First, he dragged her out of the dark while the sun was up and now he was neglecting her needs. What a great start to their time living together. Of course, she didn’t know that yet, so he’d need to explain some of what was going on. He summoned her a potion first, glad that Severus still had a store of his blood on hand and he would not have to go through each potion to add it himself before handing it off to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Forsythia gave him a grateful glance before she took the potion and drank. Curious, he watched as she did it, wondering if it was good or if it was just enough to take the edge off. He wondered what it tasted like to her, if she liked the taste of his blood better than others. Of course she would, he thought to himself, because of the blood bond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had Severus brew enough blood replenishing potions to keep you satisfied for at least this week. I’ll bring more when we go in for interrogations. He said you should have at least one a day if not more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She scowled at that, and he bit back a grin. Surely it wasn’t so bothersome to have a potion each day and be taken care of? Perhaps he’d tease her gently about it later if she was able to find a decent mood to be in. It was probably too soon for teasing, he thought bitterly, noting that she still didn’t seem to like him very much. He pushed his playful thoughts away and said, “I’m certain you have questions.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did you move me away from the others?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, if there was one thing he could count on it was her refusing to pull any punches or beat around the bush. It was a fair question, and the one he couldn’t tell her the entire answer to. Instead of being honest, which he figured he’d effectively hex himself for in the future, he went along anyways and said, “After what happened at Nottingham, at the manor, The Dark Lord gave his approval to move you somewhere safer. You proved your loyalty-,” she positively glowered at him, “-enough to make losing you more of a burden than previously anticipated.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she didn’t try to interrupt him and instead kept up her glaring, he continued, “So, the only place safer than the holding cells at Oak Grove, would be here. The Dark Lord agrees that you should be kept closer to me, more convenient for me to access, in case another ambush occurs.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Forsythia looked around the kitchen, the question plain as day on her face. Through whichever bond kept whispering her feelings to him, he felt her apprehension and her confusion. She wanted to know what he meant by ‘here’. So, he clarified. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here, of course, being my home.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That wasn’t technically a lie. The Rowhouse was one of many homes his family owned, and therefore was by association his, too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do I need to be kept safe? You said my cell wouldn’t let anybody but you in.” She challenged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Previous to his pep talk the night before, Draco might have coddled her a bit, been a bit gentle and maybe even sweet to her. After it, though, there was none of that left. He couldn’t see her in any light other than what he would allow himself to see her in. Sure, he still thought of her as his pet and still took responsibility for her, but he couldn’t be overtly kind any longer. Not if he was going to keep himself under control. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand that your simple mind can’t begin to comprehend all of the things you’re expected to do for me, but I will try to speak in small words so you can understand. You,” he pointed at her, speaking in a mocking tone, “are to keep me,” he indicated himself, “safe. If bad people see that you are who keeps me safe, they will kill you and I will not be safe any longer. Make sense?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment her eyes dilated, Draco cut her off before she could speak, “Don’t even think about it, I won’t hesitate to curse you.” He should have expected that, he grumbled internally, and tried to ignore feeling hurt. Her main priority was likely escape, and he was the one standing in her way. He wished he could tell her how much he wanted to help with that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Better keep your wand close, then. Would hate to catch you without it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It felt like his stomach rolled over and was dumped into a piping hot cauldron. She was playing back. Despite it being a clear threat, she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>playing back. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He’d finally figured out how to make her respond genuinely and it was after he’d decided to be a gentleman. Draco cursed himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t even realize how lucky you are to be assigned to me.” It wasn’t fair of him to take out his own frustrations on her, he was painfully aware of that. But, all things considered, he highly doubted many others in his unit would have chosen the path he did. To the best of his knowledge, none of them were exactly gentlemanly to their charges, though he wasn’t counting Blaise in that group. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was also, of course, her inability to keep herself safe. He’d fed her, clothed her, and cleaned up her sick. It was dawning on him that his anger was not only at himself, but some belonged to her, too. She’d put herself in danger, gotten injured to some degree. Her lack of self preservation was astoundingly infuriating. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>How lucky I am</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” she demanded, her magic whipping her hair back as if there was a breeze, “Let’s trade positions then and see how much you like being cradled like a baby one minute then shouted at and treated like garbage the next!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unable to conceal his anger any further, Draco let loose on her, “If you think me shouting at you is being treated like garbage then you’re even more stupid than I thought!” Her hair rippled again as her rage, too, seemed to come forward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you being such a wanker? Everything was fine last night!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fine? Everything was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He wanted to shake her. The previous night wasn’t fine in any sense of the word. He’d thought she was dying when he got back to the interrogation room and had not felt terror like that in a long, long time, particularly not when it was not even for his own well being. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you almost got yourself killed right in front of me and-!” He stopped short, feeling mortified while his heart hammered. They both stared at each other. It had been an accident, a horrible, terrible accident. The words had just slipped out, and though he was glad he’d not finished that sentence, he also realized he could not take back any of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As his heart slowed, and their silence stretched, Draco rolled his shoulders, reset his posture and did what he did best; sulk. “I’m in charge of you and I will move you to wherever it pleases me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d meant for it to be an end all, but he could see the gears working as she regarded him with a carefully concealed curiosity. The only way he even knew she was curious and not simply still in shock was because of their bonds. There was something else, too, something deeply inquisitive about the way her eyes swept over him. There was another swell of her pupils, though it looked a bit more human that time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for bringing me here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His stomach rolled again. Now she was thanking him? With a quirk of his eyebrow he said, “Don’t thank me. You’re the one who apparated us out of the manor before-.” He cut himself off again, not wanting to open up his anger so soon after getting back in control of it. The last thing he wanted was to go off on her again and say something else stupid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gave him an awkward nod and continued his sentence, “Before either of us were seriously hurt. That’s part of the..part of the bond, I think. I knew something was wrong so I tried to take us away from it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was interesting. He didn’t know that the blood bond would afford him protection as well. As far as he’d known, he thought the mastering charm would be fully to blame for that. Maybe she didn’t hate him as much as he thought she did. Although, was she really in control of those feelings, or was it just the blood bond. He didn’t like thinking about it that way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It would be easy to leave their conversation where it was and just move on to showing her where she’d be staying; her new cell, so to speak. Of course, he didn’t mind her milling about the place or anything like that, but the Rowhouse was essentially her new cage. He just hoped she’d be more entertained with having more space and more furniture to lounge about on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, it would be easy to let their conversation die there. It would be easy to show her around and then retreat to his own room to get himself back together and debrief himself on what he’d overshared. When had he ever liked it easy, though?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where were you trying to go, exactly?” he asked, not hiding his own curiosity from her. He needed more information about her, anything really.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“London. Somewhere in London.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why London? What’s there?” he asked, watching her expression shift from awkward to more relaxed. He could feel her nostalgia, her longing for whatever place she’d been trying to take him to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hid there well before. There’s a pub, Fire and Fauna. The owner lets me stay there sometimes. It’s a, er, </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>kind of place.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vampires had pubs? Draco wanted to quiz her until he was blue in the face, to learn every detail of this Fire and Fauna and understand how she’d managed to find herself there in the first place. How long had she stayed there? </span>
  <em>
    <span>How bloody old was she?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He bit his tongue, instead directing her attention to the cabinet full of replenishing potions for her. Told her casually to take what she needed whenever she needed it and to not leave the property or invite anyone in. He’d seen the way his own men looked at her, and he was not about to allow anyone into their cage whom he did not have the utmost trust in. His stomach clenched as he realized he thought of the cage as </span>
  <em>
    <span>theirs</span>
  </em>
  <span> now instead of hers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All at once, Forsythia looked like she’d gone somewhere far away in her mind. Her eyes widened, her lips parted as her breath pushed out of her as if she’d been punched. Her knuckles trembled as she held tightly to the counter behind her. For a moment, she went rather gray and Draco tried to call her back to him from wherever she’d gone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t pass out in my kitchen, you’ll make quite a mess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure, he’d vanish her vomit and let her drink his blood, but he drew the line at cleaning up gray matter. If she had any of that. Not to mention he didn’t want to see her in pain any more times than he already had. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a shiver that went through her as she righted herself, as she came back to him. He felt a sense of relief, enough so to remember to be a bit gentle with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had a room prepared. My house elf, Hisky, can be summoned by you if you need anything. I’ll show you-,” he broke off, swearing and jerking as his dark mark seared with blistering pain. He ground out that he’d have Hisky show her, and apparated back to his room where he quickly dressed in proper uniform and then went to Oak Grove with another soft pop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The third floor was a disaster, Vampires and their Death Eaters rushing all around and shouting as they all seemed to bustle around each other. There were snarls from the Vampires, hissing and swearing and yelping as they were forced to be disciplined. Draco ignored them, instead heading downstairs and to The Dark Lord’s side without a backwards glance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Draco,” he called, dragging out the syllables as if he were tasting them, “I am so pleased you have joined me. Afterall, I am glad to see you in one piece after the Nottingham Manor incident.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, my lord.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An interesting thing, no? Perhaps more interesting than where I need to send you now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco waited, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. He’d barely gotten Forsythia into her new accomodations and he was already being sent away? Wanting nothing more than to let out a very indignant sigh, Draco forced his spine straight, his shoulders down and back as far as they’d go until his muscles went taut. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe you have a chateau in France, do you not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, my lord. It is a residence we keep.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very good. I expect you to take your Vampire with you and your unit there to keep an eye on the wizards and witches in the area. You will listen to what they are saying, what whispers of revolution against us there are.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, my lord. I’ll organize it at once. You mean for us to leave now, correct?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as Voldemort drew closer to him, his long robes sweeping across the ground as he walked. Draco’s posture went ridgid, and he forced himself to breathe long and slow so as to not become too anxious. The dolls shuffled quickly in his mind, tightening and nearly breaking with the force of it. He needed to relax or he would blow his cover.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Dark Lord moved around him, assessing, it seemed, as he moved. “I heard a whisper, Draco, that your Vampire was injured last evening. Has it been healed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Almost, my lord. I was told there was something released into the air that attacked her lung tissue.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A good thing that they do not need to breathe.” Draco could already tell he was thinking of ways to weaponize this, and it made him want to be sick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, my lord.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are dismissed, Draco. Your father will be joining you in France as soon as his work in Belgium is done in a day or so. He will bring you further information.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Draco respectfully bowed and left him, sucking in fresh air as soon as he was in the first floor lobby and alone. There was a shake in his hands as he ran them back through his hair in a weak attempt to calm himself. Looking back, he could feel when Voldemort had prodded at his mind, or rather, his occlumency walls, but seeing as they hadn’t made eye contact, he was unsuccessful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d have to be more careful next time; let The Dark Lord in some to see that he had nothing to hide while keeping anything too warm about Forsythia tucked deeply away. Maybe he’d remove the memories completely, store them in a Pensieve or something else so nobody could touch them. It calmed him to think of which ones he’d remove: the feeling of her waist in his hand, how her lips felt pressed against the sensitive skin of his wrist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oi! Lying around on the job?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blaise’s voice made him startle, then once he realized who it was he scowled, “Blaise. What are you doing here?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Freshly back from galavanting around London. Heard you were getting sent to France and I thought me and Ash should come along. Keep you and Forsythia company.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s not coming,” he responded flatly, “She’s still injured.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blaise’s eyebrows pushed together, “Injured? What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Last night at Nottingham? Did you really not hear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I heard she apparated you both back here. How did she get hurt? Was she cursed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, she said that she breathed something in and it fucked up her lungs. She threw up some kind of foamy concoction.” </span>
</p><p><span>For a moment, all Blaise seemed able to do was stare at him with his mouth hanging open before he asked, still astonished, “Did you have her healed?”</span><span><br/></span> <span>“I let her drink from me and now I have her at that rowhouse we have in Kent.” </span></p><p>
  <span>Blaise snapped his eyes directly onto Draco’s, his expression burning, “You’re hiding her away, aren’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anger flared just under his skin. Was he truly that obvious? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t even bother answering that, I’m sure I’m better off not knowing what you-,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a bit more complicated-,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-get up to with her behind closed doors.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-than that, you wouldn’t understand!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both of them stopped shouting over each other and Blaise shook his head, “Mate, believe me, I get that with the bond it’s difficult. But...she’s..I mean, she’s Forsythia Black, mate.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco ground his teeth together, feeling the jolt of it through his jaw and neck as he bit out, “Yes, I’m very aware of that, Blaise, thank you.” Then, his friend did something that surprised him. Blaise gave him a pitying look and then a wince, “You don’t remember her, do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“From school.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything went cold. From school? Draco raced through his memories of Hogwarts, some more hazy than others depending on the amount of Firewhisky he’d been using to cope with things in his later years of school. All through everything he could recall, there was no lanky, dark haired girl hiding in any corner of his memories. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blaise sighed, rubbing his fingers into his temples, “Forsythia Black, Drake. You seriously don’t remember do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was a bit preoccupied if you </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>recall!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not too preoccupied to notice girls, Draco. Come on, seriously? She bounced around radiating sunlight through the dungeons like a bloody hufflepuff!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco took his turn to sigh and rub his forehead, trying to push away the growing headache just under his fingers, “I don’t have time for this. I’m supposed to get everyone together and get them all to France. Are you coming? Even if she isn’t?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll come if you tell me why you’ve locked her away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another flare of anger, weaker this time. It was just Blaise. Blaise who had been there when Draco took the mark. Blaise who would glamour the marks on his neck away after he spent nights in the girls’ dormitory nailing Pansy to her silk sheets. Just Blaise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s something I need to tell you, but we need to be alone and far away from anyone else.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As flattered as I am, mate, you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>not my type-,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut it. It’s about her, you prick,” he said, though he didn’t hide his grin from Blaise. His friend only shrugged, waving him off and saying again that he was very flattered that Draco wanted to be alone with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m hiding her away because there’s been an unexpected challenge that’s come along with her being assigned to me.” </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Absently together.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Blaise swore as he sat back into his chair, his firewhisky forgotten down in front of him. Draco, from across from him, nodded weakly as he nursed his own drink. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So...she just..your mother </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> this entire time and let you just do as you pleased? Can we trade mothers?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Talking through a fresh albeit lazy scowl, Draco rolled his eyes and said, “You know how she is. Always wants me to have choices in these sorts of things. That’s why she put up with Pans for so long. Now, though..I’m not sure. It’s all very complicated.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On the contrary, I don’t think it’s complicated at all. You two were predestined to be together, it’s just that her being bitten got in the way of that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco scoffed and took a long sip of his drink instead of responding. It seemed that didn’t bother Blaise one bit because he called over to the bartender in very bad french asking for another round of drinks for them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It felt nice to get that off his chest, knowing now that he wasn’t the only one having to bear the burden. Blaise was a Slytherin sure, but he’d never shown any desire to rise in the ranks of the Death Eaters. In fact, he treated it almost as a joke, which Draco relied heavily upon. He knew if it was anybody else, they would’ve used it to blackmail him. No, he could mostly trust Blaise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should get back to the chateau after this round. I’m sure by now Crabbe or Goyle has destroyed some priceless piece of furniture.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blaise agreed, and once they were properly sloshed, they both stumbled back through the winding, crooked streets until they reached where the chateau was hidden behind a ten foot tall fence and iron gate. They both passed through it as though it was made of mist, and stumbled along the drive and back inside. Goyle had broken a bust, though Draco easily fixed it with a well practiced </span>
  <em>
    <span>reparo</span>
  </em>
  <span> and sent himself to bed without another look back at any of the men from his unit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once his father arrived, he was no longer the highest ranking person, so the command went to Lucius instead. That certainly made life much easier, and despite having to lurk around the small coastal city, he had an alright time when he kept busy. When he didn’t though he was prone to bouts of sulking and wondering about Forsythia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was never anything specific, just what she was doing while he was away and if she was having a more pleasant time at the Rowhouse than she would have at Oak Grove having to act more injured than she already was. Wondering if she might have even missed him a little bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The night they were meant to go back to England, Blaise pulled him aside into a drawing room and locked and warded the room in case anybody thought to eavesdrop on them. “When you get back will you be able to do interrogations with her again or will she be too much of a distraction?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco felt himself pale, the warmth in his body slowly seeping away until he was chilled, “I’ll be fine. I’ll just-just stay occluded entirely and I’ll be fine.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That will exhaust you. Allow me to borrow her, I’ll make sure your work is done and nobody will be any the wiser to what’s going on and you won’t have the opportunity to get the two of you killed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He balked at him, narrowing his eyes as anger warmed him right back up, “Are you suggesting that I cannot control myself?” A wave of jealousy went through him at the thought of Blaise working with Forsythia. It was strong enough to catch him off guard, but still made him sneer at his friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe that’s already been made pretty clear, mate. Look, I’ll take some polyjuice and you won’t have to even worry about it. I won’t be cruel with her, you know that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m certain you won’t be cruel, but I can’t stay away from her, Blaise. I need to see her, to know that she’s alright and not permanently damaged from whatever weapon has been developed to use against them!” Part of him felt like a child whose favorite toy was being taken away from him, which he promptly shoved back down. She wasn’t a toy for him to play with, she was..much more than that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blaise’s turn to balk, “You’ll get killed if anyone else finds out how you feel about her. You’ll be deemed compromised and you’ll end up in the interrogation rooms chained to a chair while somebody tortures it all out of you. And I do mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>of it, Drac.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes flickered to his friend’s face where worry and an intense kind of protection was written plainly across his features, “You sure you weren’t supposed to be in Gryffindor, then, Blaise?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut the fuck up and listen to me for once in your life. If you don’t get it together you won’t be the only one they’ll kill. Do you really think she’ll be just fine after they find out? Want to know what Ash told me? He said now that you two have started a bond she’ll be aggressive towards anyone else who tries to start one with her. If she’s transferred, she’ll probably kill the sorry sap who ends up with her. And then you know what will happen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’ll kill her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’ll kill her.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Horror and fear curdled in his stomach at the thought. He couldn’t bear the thought of it, especially not now with his emotions running high. Draco groaned, wiping his hand down his face and gesturing towards the door, “Let’s just go. I’m tired and I want to get back to her so I can get myself under control before I’m expected to work the interrogation floor again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is no time, we’ve all got our new assignments and yours is waiting for you by the fire.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It came in while you were sulking in your bedroom. You’re interrogating Burke tonight, actually. So, unless you can fully occlude yourself right this instant, you’d do better to let me take over for at least tonight.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have anybody to torture tonight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nobody apart from you. Come on, let me see how she is. Ash is so boring these days, I think he’s actually starting to resent me again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not. She’d know it wasn’t me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blaise wiggled his eyebrows, which infuriated him, but Draco simply slashed his wand through the wards and headed out to the where the rest of their unit was gathered by the fireplace, waiting apparently to take the floo back to Oak Grove. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, no time like the present, lads. Shall we?” he asked, sliding his gaze between the men around him. Even if he wasn’t officially in charge, they all still scrambled and started floo-ing away with rushes of green flames. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once only he and his father were left, Draco offered to allow him to go first. Instead, he found his same gray eyes looking back at him coolly. He hadn’t asked his father what he thought of the situation. They didn’t really talk about emotional matters. At the very least, Forsythia was pureblood, so he knew his father would have less to say in that regard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mother informed me that you were shown the Genealogy book.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco gulped, then nodded once, dread filling his every vein, “Yes, she did show it to me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, then, you are aware of what is expected of you when it comes to how you interact with Miss Black?” Of course his father was concerned about keeping up with appearances. That was all he was ever concerned about, Draco thought moodily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Father, please spare me this lecture. I’ve already spoken to Mother about it and I understand what I’m meant to do and how I’m meant to act-,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If that was the case then please explain to me </span>
  <em>
    <span>why </span>
  </em>
  <span>you have her living with you privately in the rowhouse in Kent.” This seemed obvious, and Draco couldn’t help but believe his father was leading him into an intellectual trap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I doubted you’d be pleased if I brought her to the manor.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You doubted correctly. However, your idea of using the rowhouse was immature and completely inappropriate all things considered. Have you any clue what will happen if anybody outside of our family knows about this arrangement?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be killed, she’ll be killed, I’ll bring dishonor upon the entire Malfoy family-,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have always been insolent!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-and hellfire will rain down upon the earth. I’m painfully aware, Father, thank you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucius regarded him for only a moment more before he said more softly, “Your mother and I were the same way. Did you know that? Tied together by fate, promised to each other before we’d even been born.” Anxiety creeped in and he had to force the dolls back in place. He didn’t want to think about Forsythia in a romantic manner. At least, not until he knew her age.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco felt his expression tighten, “I’d really prefer not to know any of these things about my own parents.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I only tell you because I understand what you are feeling towards the girl. Other things are more important presently, and you need to keep in mind that you are not the only one who will be held accountable if any of this causes a slip up.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s already </span>
  <em>
    <span>been</span>
  </em>
  <span> a slip up. She apparated me away from Nottingham Manor, to get me away from the fighting because she was worried I’d be hurt if we stayed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucius did not react, his face stayed impassive and arrogant as it always was. “You will do well to occlude yourself tonight for the interrogation and every night you are expected to have her at Oak Grove. There will be no waist touching, no time spent where you are alone with her, and certainly you will not tell her of any of this until the war is finished. Have I made myself clear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Crystal.” His veins felt like ice now, cold and occluded as they were. His father had a funny way of showing he cared, if he even did. Draco suspected it had more to do with his family’s image than anything else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stepped into the fire together, called out for Oak Grove, where his father chaperoned him to the interrogation room. The room wherein Burke waited for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Burke was already in tears, swearing up and down he’d tell Draco whatever he wanted to know as long as they didn’t bring any of the Vampires in. Apparently, as Burke so willingly admitted, he was afraid of blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hisky!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco had the elf bring Forsythia to him, and waited with his back pressed against the interrogation room door until they both popped into existence there in front of him. With his father waiting and listening from just outside, there was nothing he could do to indicate to her that he’d thought of her while he was away. He only hoped she would behave for him so his father wouldn’t speak to her about her own behavior. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Start with three, Black, in the arm-,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Burke cut him off with some wailed begging but Draco took back over easily, “Forsythia, bite him now.” He’d pushed his voice to drop into the tone he usually used when he commanded her through the mastering charm, only he didn’t call any of his magic forward. If she didn’t want to, he wouldn’t force her; it was the only way he could think of to show her that she still had some control even though they were working. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a sharp pain that went through his chest when she lurched forward and bit into Burke. She’d done it. He hadn’t even commanded her and she’d gone forward and just done it. Before either of the other people in the room could see, Drao schooled his expression and waited as Forsythia took half a step back while Burke screamed about who he’d been getting information to, a man called Cornelius Harper from the muggle born registry office, but Draco didn’t care. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pushed her a bit harder, testing at what point she’d say no. He reminded her that he’d told her three bites, and she did pause. She was staring at him like he was the monster. Perhaps he was. If that was what she wanted to see him as, then so be it. He was so occluded within himself that he felt nothing about this prospect. Draco commanded her to finish the last two bites. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the third bite, Burke fainted, but Draco couldn’t stop staring at Forsythia. She hated him so thoroughly it made his head spin as the feeling passed from her to him through whichever bond; he couldn’t be bothered to try to separate them any longer. He did, however, order her to back off now that his bidding was done. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She watched him, too, glaring and furious as she turned her head and spat Burke’s blood down onto the floor. “Very ladylike,” he snarked, taking out his frustration on her. All she did was roll her eyes and lean casually against the wall with her arms folded across her chest. The only thing he could think while he called for Hisky to take her back to Kent was the fact that she was still wearing his clothes. Not that she had any other options, he thought bitterly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This went on over the next week. He’d call Hisky to bring her to him, he’d order her to stay in the corner looming up over whatever sod they were supposed to get information out of, and then he’d send her away. When he also returned to Kent, he made sure to apparate to and from his room exclusively and only took his meals there in front of his private fire. Even though it felt like he was torturing himself by staying away from her, he couldn’t bring himself to face her either, just like he hadn’t been able to face Granger. Two women he’d let down. Two women he’d dragged into this world of torture and mutilation for his own gain; to save his own skin. Two women who absolutely despised him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lamented for hours at a time, sometimes ignoring his food until Hisky vanished the full plates without him even seeing what it was that she’d made in the first place. He was too sick with himself to do more than pick at anything, too weary to sleep more than a few hours at a time. Something would have to give, and he knew deep down it would end up being Forsythia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the first time in a week, he properly looked at her once Hisky brought her to him. Out of sheer need, he had her remove her mask so he could see her whole face. He felt feverish. She was white as a sheet, her eyes locked somewhere far away as if she was daydreaming. He wanted to know what she thought of when he had her stand while he did all their work. Was she pleased that she didn’t need to bite anybody? Or, was she angry that he wasn’t letting her take any of her frustration out on their prisoners? It wasn’t prudent to ask, and he doubted he’d be able to say anything of use to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Things went along just fine until he asked her to bite. That was when all hell broke loose. He blamed himself instantly, shouting over Hannah Abbott’s screaming to get Forsythia away from the girl, though he already knew she was in a frenzy when her dilated eyes landed on him in terror. He watched her collapse and then called for others to take Hannah away; she was unconscious and slumped over though her blood was gushing rather quickly from the large wound in her neck. Nobody was coming quickly enough, so Draco went to work over her himself. His spellwork was messy and incomplete but he doused her with a replenishing potion and jabbed at the wound until it stitched itself together enough to staunch some of the more free flowing areas. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally Avery and Travers entered, taking Hannah out while Draco vanished the blood from the floor and the table and the chair. The last thing they needed was an entire prison full of Vampires going into a frenzy. Once the door was closed, he went over to where Forsythia was staring at where there had previously been a puddle of blood on the ground. Somehow, she was paler. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was sloppy.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of his voice made her jerk hard into the wall, so hard the crack of her skull against the stone was audible. His entire body went into a lockdown as if he’d warded the inside of his mind to keep himself safe from watching as Forsythia broke. There was no spark in her eyes, no twitch of a smirk on her lips. She didn’t have any fight left in her any longer and it was entirely his fault. He felt like he was going to be sick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get up. We’re done.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was all he could say; what if his father had stopped by and was listening again? Even though he’d told her to get up, for some reason he knew she wouldn’t be able to on her own. Despite knowing it, he still felt annoyed as he leaned over and caught both of her forearms between his hands. There was a strike of what felt like lightning that went through him, and he nearly dropped her in his haste to get his hands off of her bare skin and onto her elbows where she was covered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a very disconcerting crack as she staggered to her feet, and Draco watched mortified as her knobbly knees wobbled and then straightened. Bile rose in his throat but he had to force it back down. Anger did not come close to what was burning through him. She’d hurt herself in her haste to get away from Hannah, to listen to him. “When I told you to back off I didn’t mean go and break your damn legs!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t meant to be so sharp with her but the rage was filling him and all he kept thinking was all of this was his fault. He should have declined the offer to take over the Vampire division, to be in charge of anything at all. When he’d been offered the promotion to General he should have said no and stayed a scout where he could have continued running about Europe without any care in the world. It would have been easier. He’d never been good at doing the easy thing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Forsythia gasped in pain, yanking her arm to her chest and shaking as the bones of her fingers snapped back into place from where they’d been ticking out at an odd angle. “Who stepped on you? Which one was it?” he snarled, grabbing onto her wrist when she didn’t answer. He felt like he was rapidly losing control, the rage so consuming that he could barely breathe. He dragged her hand close to his face so he could watch as the bones settled themselves back into place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Tell me who stepped on your hand!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a rushing in his ears, and between it and his pounding heart he was shocked he even heard her when she told him it had been Avery. There was no time to lose, then. He shoved the mask back over her face and called for Hisky. The elf popped into the room barely a second later, and he chewed out, “Take her back to the rowhouse. Make sure she has a potion and then come back to me. We’re going to visit Severus.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was only another few minutes before Hisky was back with him, her hand slithering into his own as she took him to Spinner’s End and right onto Severus’ doorstep. He didn’t bother knocking, instead just dragging Hisky with him into the long entrance hall and through to where Severus was making a cup of tea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you forget how to knock or are you making it a point to break into people’s homes now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to get killed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus didn’t pause as he took the steaming kettle and carefully poured himself a cup, already summoning one for Draco, too. “And who has the great pleasure of taking your life?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Forsythia Black.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, Severus did freeze, kettle in hand while the two cups steamed just under it. He searched Draco’s face for only a moment before he gestured for him to continue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do I stop these bonds from forming? I can’t handle this, not with so many people watching all the time.” He didn’t want to mention that he wasn’t good with emotions either, that being away from her killed him. But worse, knowing that she hated him was like poison. And he couldn’t do anything to change it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a swish of his wand, Severus summoned a very old looking tome from the other room and tapped the cover before it flipped open about half-way through. There was a hand inked image of a witch and a wizard on one page, connected by a golden thread that shimmered and danced between them in the lowlight. “There isn’t a way to stop it completely, but there are ways to slow it. I can brew you a suppressant, but without her taking it, too, it won’t be as potent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can have her take it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus quirked an eyebrow, “Having her take it would mean having to tell her why she is taking a bond suppressant. I was of the understanding that you were </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>going to be telling her anything of the sort until the war was over. Or, were you planning on going against mummy and daddy’s wishes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco made a very frustrated sound deep in his throat and shoved his hand back through his hair, “I need to do something. This is utterly absurd and I am out of control.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay away from her, then. The Vampire’s blood bond is driven by contact, so have none.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, leave her alone? I just watched her completely break down on the floor of an interrogation room, Severus. Leaving her alone will only cause more damage-,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are not responsible for her in that way.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-and if it’s irreparable then I am in direct violation of the contract I signed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus paused again and pushed a teacup towards Draco, “Drink.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span> “I don’t want tea, I need a solution.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve just </span>
  <em>
    <span>told you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. There is a suppressant but as you are unable to tell her about what’s going on then it won’t be as effective.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco started pacing about the kitchen, tea forgotten and hands tightly clasped behind his back as he marched. What was he to do? He’d end up getting them both killed if he wasn’t careful. Everyone was making such a point to remind him, and other than a half useful suppressant what other options even were there? His mother seemed to have been convinced he was going to run away with Forsythia until he’d denied it. Was that it? Apart from a potion, was that the only option left? Run? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you quite done?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus’ voice was dry, annoyed. Draco shook his head and kept pacing, “I need to figure this out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened with Abbott? Was she taken to the usual cells?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. Everything was fine, normal. Then-then she jerked and Forsythia tore her whole shoulder open.” He pointed on himself where Hannah had been wounded. Severus only curled his lip into a sneer, “You’re going with me to get her out, then. That will give you time away from your </span>
  <em>
    <span>pet</span>
  </em>
  <span> and it will give me proof that you’ve been aiding me in getting them out.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this point Draco didn’t care anymore. He was sick of being a Death Eater. Sick of hurting other people. Sick of having to build an evil facade that he never wanted in the first place. There had been no choice to take the mark, it had been expected of him. He hated every part of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Back to Oak Grove they went after Draco sent Hisky back to the rowhouse. He told her to watch over Forsythia closely, to make sure she wasn’t doing anything stupid while he was away. Hisky promised. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Getting Hannah back to the Order was awful. They had to keep her unconscious until they managed to apparate her out of Oak Grove and to Grimmauld Place. Draco had only been once, when he was very young, and opted to stay just on the top step while Severus took a very weak Hannah inside to whoever was waiting to accept her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She wanted me to thank you and your pet.” Severus said, stepping out of the house and vanishing the blood from his hands; she’d splinched on the way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All Draco could do was scoff. There was a sharp, raw aching deep in his chest. It had been days since he’d seen Forsythia. Days since he’d called for Hisky to tell him how she was doing. He’d heard she’d tried to leave her room, and he was nearly sick after hearing how she’d responded to him cursing her doorknob. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The curse was supposed to only be on the exterior handle and only for anyone other than her, but his spell work had been sloppy and rushed and he’d not properly put his intention into it. Initially, it was only supposed to deter her, but Hisky explained that she’d been thoroughly burned and that her hand was scarred some from it. All he’d wanted was to keep her safe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew she’d be angry with him, possibly outraged, but he knew if he could just explain she’d understand and then maybe they could go back to being almost friendly? It was a slim chance, but for now her hatred of him was necessary. Besides, even when she’d hated him previously it hadn’t run deep enough that he wouldn’t be able to redeem himself; he just hoped that was true. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I allowed to leave then?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. But-,” Severus said, grabbing onto his elbow when he tried to step away to apparate, “-do be careful. Vampires are dangerous in the first place but one who has had a mental lapse is…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco didn’t need him to explain, didn’t need another lecture on how to not allow his pet to kill him. He knew, damn it. Some part of him almost felt like he deserved it, but he snuffed that quickly and simply nodded. He snatched his arm away and with one final glare turned and went back to Kent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her room was soaked in that floral scent that made his head feel light and warm. The cool evening air that clung to him quickly spread away and then it was just him. It took a moment before he found her, her head snapped towards him and her eyes glowing in the low light from her fire. They were completely black. She turned her head away and he did his best to not make any noise as he looked her over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was thin again, as she’d been when he first met her at Oak Grove. His clothes clung to her, still, and he wondered if it was a comfort for her to be held so tightly by his things. Of course it wasn’t, he hissed internally, she couldn’t stand him. If anything it was just a further reminder that she was a prisoner and it was his fault.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her hair was limp all around her head, its usual sheen gone. There was an underlying scent that made him freeze; burning skin. He raised an eyebrow, and decided he’d try to play with her. “You look horrible.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t necessarily a lie, but certainly not something he’d ever say to her in seriousness. She never looked horrible, not even curled up in her chair with her flat eyes locked on the ceiling. Her condition was worrying him however, and the dolls were cracking left and right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her gaze flickered towards him again, her eyes so dark it looked like there wasn’t any white left in them. He asked when the last time she fed was and the mask shocked her before she said she didn’t know. His heart skipped, anxious sweat starting to collect at the back of his neck and in between the creases of his palms. She didn’t know? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her mask went off twice more before he asked if she truly wanted to kill him that badly or if she was doing it on purpose. Another joke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only, it went off again. “Take it off.” Not a joke. Again. Again. Again. He was losing control again, he could feel it. All his emotions were attempting to hit him at once and he wanted to pass out. He needed control. He needed her to stop hurting herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stunned her and ripped the damn thing from her face. Nearly threw it into the fire if only he could come up with a good story for needing a replacement. No, not in the fire. Instead, he shoved it into a cloak pocket and lifted her from her chair. There was black goo seeping from the wounds on her face, and he took her to her bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a moment to realize he had furious tears racing down his face, but his hands were too busy healing her to wipe them away. His heart stabbed in his chest when he felt her pain, and he wished he could make it all go away. The tears dripped onto her, disappearing as they soaked into the neck of her shirt. His shirt. She still wore his. Even though he started shaking, he forced himself to suck deep breaths in through his nose so he wouldn’t scar her worse than she already was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wounds started out black and seared, crusted around the edges as if she’d been doing it for a while. Doing what he wouldn’t let himself think until he finished with healing it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Obedience. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The rune was burnt into her skin over and over, and he didn’t stop himself from brushing his index finger over one of them once the skin had scarred down into a thin silver line. He didn’t let himself linger before he wiped his face off and fought off the urge to vomit. He was sick of this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only a moment or two later she launched herself at him, eyes wide and chest heaving. He caught her like this was something he did all the time, spun her around and shoved her back down into bed on her belly. He held her there, both her arms crossed behind her back and in his fist while he commanded her to stop fighting him. The magic burst through him after not being used in a few days. It was dizzying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was crying. He could feel it through her shoulders as she shook and gasped and begged. Instantly, he tucked himself away in doll after doll until he was comfortably unaware of what he was doing. That part of him that was authoritative took over and snapped back and forth with her until he found himself blinking out in the hallway, fresh tears tracking down his face as he did away with the curse on her doorknob. He was a monster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hisky tried to ask if he wanted dinner and he barely made it past her and into his own bathroom before he was sick. Hisky rubbed his back, took his cloak from him as he jolted with each wave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She took him straight to bed, poured potions down his throat and swore up and down she’d never leave Forsythia alone ever again.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As is customary - a HUGE thank you to my beta SJ. She's about to go on a little (very safe!) vacation so I'm sending her all my love and happiest travel wishes.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Imperius</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks to my girl SJ - she always makes my work so much better.  Along with her, the guests who have left kudos! Those notifications literally make my day and I'm so glad people are enjoying this :) </p><p>quick warning - there is some violence in this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Draco didn’t even make it a full two days before he found himself outside her door once more. He could barely say four words to her, a warning, before he handed her the mask and took her back to Oak Grove. The new file was delivered by owl only a few hours earlier, and there was no way out. He decided after this one he’d tell everyone that she was ill, to give her some time after Hannah to get back to herself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hand closed around her forearm and they landed right in the interrogation room. Hopefully Lee Jordan would prove to be more well behaved than Hannah had. Not that it had been Hannah’s fault at all, but Draco couldn’t stop himself from being irked with anyone who hurt Forsythia. He drifted in and out of the interrogation, lingering only when she was uncomfortable or unsure and only until she was in control again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment she said his name, nearly whimpered it, he jolted back into himself and staggered as he tried to keep himself balanced from the force of it. He started to go to her, to grab her and pull her to him and do anything she wanted him to. The thrumming in his chest vibrated so fiercely it felt hot. His hand stretched out to take her waist or maybe touch her cheek. Before he was even close enough to touch her, she screamed. Her body dropped, and he stopped thinking. Each layer that protected his mind cracked and split away until it was just him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He jerked down and lifted her into his arms, disapparating them up to the healer’s quarters on the fourth floor. Essentially, it was a second cell block though the only cell that was occupied was their healer. They apparated just outside the open cell and he shoved past the stunned looking healer to set her down on the exam table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is going on?” the healer demanded, though Draco had his wand pointed directly at the man’s throat, the tip pushing in just enough to be uncomfortable. “Fix her,” he spat at the man, tone entirely too venomous. The healer raised his hands slowly, “I can’t help her if you kill me, Malfoy. Get out and tell me what happened from outside the bars.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Resenting the healer deeply, Draco turned and stomped out of the cell, huffing and puffing like a child while he snapped out what had happened, how she’d shocked herself on accident and was still healing from wounds caused by whatever had happened at Nottingham. He stressed that she was weak, very weak, physically. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The healer dosed her with a very grotesque looking potion, and his nerves sparked again when she started to struggle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When was the last time she was given blood directly? She’s in very poor condition.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Several days. She’s had the replenishing potions daily, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, that won’t do at all. Now that the bond and command charm are settling she’ll need more from you directly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>. There was one other thing, though. I found her shocking herself with the muzzle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The healer stilled, “What?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He explained what had happened, his own shame and guilt only adding to the claminess of his palms, “As a self harm method. That’s why the intensity of the shock was so high. She got used to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never heard of one doing that. Did she tell you why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head, “No.” The healer’s brow furrowed and he bent over where Forsythia was still struggling against the chains that kept her tethered to the table. The moment the healer’s wand touched her head Draco nearly tore his way back to her, to be with her. The healer was going through her memories, and he certainly was not being humane about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can look through her mind! Take your wand off of her!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then she was crying again, her chest shuddering as tears tracked down and glittered on her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah. It was a coping mechanism to deal with trauma. I didn’t know they could process these sorts of things.” Draco was feral, his hands balling into fists until they shook. Of course she was dealing with trauma. Of course she was hurting herself to cope with it. He couldn’t say that, though, knowing that the healer often reported directly to Voldemort himself and Draco couldn’t afford to slip up around him. So, instead of verbally assaulting him, Draco snapped back with, “They don’t, usually. None of the others have shown signs of this.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps you should examine your bond more closely, then. It seems she’s very attached to you, you should offer her some comfort.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What had he seen? Something incriminating? His body curled into itself as Forsythia screamed again, louder and louder like she was being murdered. Without thinking, he shot a shield between Forsythia and the healer, breaking his contact with her head and knocking him two steps back from her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kept the healer pinned back as he forced the cell open and finally let himself go to her after shooting the healer a sharp glare. Once the chains were charmed away, he did his best to ignore her relieved sobs, ignored the way her hands flew up to cradle her head, and certainly ignored the way she curled into his chest as he lifted her as gently as he could despite how badly he shook. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Be still,” he said, settling her into his arms and taking them back to the rowhouse without any further delays. As they turned, he felt like he was about to be sick. His nausea was just another thing for him to ignore. The only place he’d thought of when he apparated them was getting her into bed, so they ended up in her room. Alone again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Forsythia was weaving in and out of consciousness, her eyelids heavy and her gaze unfocused. “I’m going to have Hisky come stay with you tonight. If you need anything, tell her, okay?” he whispered as he set her down into bed. She gave him a weak nod, then with shaking fingers, grabbed onto his sleeve. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her voice was barely a whisper, barely anything more than an exhaled breath. Heavy again, her eyes drifted shut. Draco drew a finger over her cheek as he lifted the mask off and set it back into his pocket, careful not to touch any of the places where she had runes burnt into her. Her apology only made him feel guiltier, because it was entirely his fault in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t apologize,” he whispered back, pulling the duvet up over her and then leaving before he did anything more stupid than he already had. He called for Hisky, told her to make sure Forsythia was healthy, and left her to it. If he trusted anyone to take proper care of his pet, it was her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next morning, Draco had come back upstairs just as Forsythia stepped out of the bathroom, her own clothes on her back and her hair wrapped in a towel. The relief of seeing her on her own feet almost knocked him off of his own. She smelled like his soap. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to be with Hisky?” she asked, her back flat against the wall once she saw him. She seemed slightly uncomfortable, perhaps maybe vulnerable given she had just gotten out of the shower. Maybe he had embarrassed her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wondered if she could blush, though he guessed if she could she would have been, “If I didn’t trust you to be alone with Hisky I wouldn’t have brought you back here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His drawl comforted her, he could feel it deeply. It took everything, every ounce of self control and discipline he had within himself to go into his room and not pull the towel from her hair to feel the wet strands between his fingers, to not drag his nose up the side of her throat to see if any of her own scent still clung there or if it was all his. Instead, he went back to Oak Grove to harass the healer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You will formally report that she’s unwell and needs mental rest,” he breathed, his wand still pointed at the healer. The Imperius curse was the one he was best at, and from the vacant look in the healer’s eyes he knew it would work just fine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m formally notating that your Vampire is unwell...needs rest…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled his wand back in a sharp arc and the healer blinked a few times before he scowled, “Well, what are you waiting for? I’ve already told you that she needs rest. Go home, examine the bond as I told you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco grinned and turned on his heel, heading directly up to Severus and got busy chopping dandelion root. He was so pleased that he almost started whistling a jaunty tune, but knew Severus would kick him out if he made any unnecessary noise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s got you in such a good mood?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve bought Thia at least a week or two’s worth of vacation time.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you call her by a nickname now? Does daddy approve?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My father could walk in right now and tell me I’m disowned and I wouldn’t give two flying fat fu-.” Draco caught himself, dread slowly filling him. He was happy. Because he’d get to spend time with her. If he wanted. If </span>
  <em>
    <span>she </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanted. He couldn’t. If they progressed too far…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head and went back to chopping. They would have to wait for that. So, in order to keep himself in check, he went back to apparating to and from his bedroom exclusively. No meals away from his fireplace. No catching the scent of his soap on her body. He worked for another two hours while the sun worked its way back towards the horizon before he cleaned off his hands and went downstairs to see who was waiting for them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hisky!” He called, arms folded across his chest as he leaned back against the wall by the interrogation room door, keeping his eyes locked on Kingsley Shacklebolt, who sat across from him. Upon seeing the man he’d been instantly anxious. Shacklebolt was stronger and more experienced than any of the previous people they’d interrogated. Seeing as he was high up in the order, Draco had no idea how he’d been captured in the first place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took the elf all of two minutes to come to him, Forsythia in tow. Despite having two full weeks away from Oak Grove, she still looked weary. He didn’t blame her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Hisky was gone, Draco flickered his attention to her, “One bite. Let’s see if you can contain yourself and manage that.” Playful. Gentle. He dropped his gaze when her eyes met his but it seemed to make no difference as she lifted the mask away and bit. Kingsley hissed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. Go for another.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She complied again, and he was having her lean in for the third when there was a flash of magic, a screeching of metal, and then silence. Kingsley had his wand pressed against her throat and Draco had barely had time to draw his own wand before Kingsley was wrestling Forsythia to the ground. Rage flared in him as Kingsley forced her down on her knees at his feet. He should have guessed the wizard would try to fight back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do anything stupid and the Vampire dies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His breath heaved, and then he lowered his wand half an inch, “Shacklebolt, think about what you’re doing.” How was he supposed to convey that the moment they took him back to his holding cell that Severus would come and get him back to the Order without saying anything out loud? There was a sudden, cutting screech through his head that made him freeze. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Kill me and let it destroy him.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Her voice had never been that clear before, never held such an animosity towards him. Draco felt himself go hot and then very, very cold. She wanted to die. She’d rather die than be with him. Bile rose in his throat. It was only fair, he thought bitterly to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tried to reason with Kingsley again, though it only led them into another argument while Forsythia winced. Kingsley pulled his arm back, probably to send a curse at Draco instead of down on her, but Draco stunned and then levitated him before he could do anything. He would take no chances when it came to her safety. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get over here, now.” he snapped at her, forgetting for a moment that she was still rather fragile and that he really should be more patient with her. For fuck’s sake, she’d just screamed at him through their bond or something that she wanted to die and she wanted him to suffer because of it! As if watching her being murdered would make him simply </span>
  <em>
    <span>suffer? </span>
  </em>
  <span>As if it wouldn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>ruin </span>
  </em>
  <span>him? The very thought of it made that connection to her tremble, made every wall he put up around himself shudder and groan under the weight her death would thrust upon him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stumbled to him, a flash of black shimmering on her throat as she wobbled on her feet. She was hurt again. Draco started to reach for her then froze, gripping his hand into a fist and saying as gently as he could manage, “You’re bleeding.” He watched as she reached up and brushed her fingers over the wound in the same way he would have if he’d allowed himself to touch her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He..said something under his breath,” she said, swaying. He let Kingsley fall, forgetting about him completely as he immediately threw both arms out to catch her as she lost her balance. It was becoming more and more concerning how poorly she was doing, and he didn’t want to risk splinching her already damaged body by apparating them. It reminded him of Hannah, and he couldn’t go through </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, instead of apparating, he lifted her into his arms, her knees slung over his elbow while he used his shoulder to cradle her head so it wouldn’t flop about. He took her back out into the hall, throwing caution to the wind and carried her across the third floor. It felt like his throat was suddenly squeezing shut when she started whimpering, her body going rigid in his arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hush, Thia,” he whispered, picking up his pace. Even if the healer was mostly useless, maybe he’d know how to fix her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s she done to herself </span>
  <em>
    <span>now?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” the healer asked as soon as Draco set her down just as he had two weeks prior. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kingsley Shacklebolt used a cutting curse on her. I would mend it myself but I wasn’t sure if it would work.” He spoke rapidly, tripping over his words as he stood back and let the healer look her over. The healer snorted, casting several charms over her and then leaning in close to look into her face, “She looks much better. You’ve been giving her the two potions a day, correct?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, now can you stop her bleeding before I lose my patience?” He snapped, verging on hysterics. If she died while he was supposed to be watching over her he would never be able to forgive himself. It would ruin him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Forsythia jerked up and met his eyes, a concerning amount of happiness written all over her face. She was happy? Draco scowled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s no need for me to do anything, it’s stopped on its own. I’ll close it up.” He fought the urge to break something, instead focusing on how the healer was a bit more gentle as he set to charming her skin back together. “Now-,” he continued, “-has Mr. Malfoy been kinder to you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t speak.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He was horrified she’d share too much, tell the healer how he’d moved her into her own suite in his home. Nobody could know. If they knew, not only would that implicate certain inappropriate things were going on, but also they’d know where she was. They couldn’t know where she was, it was the only way he could keep her safe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The magic flared through him with vigor as he pushed the thought into her head without any resistance. She wasn’t trained in how to protect her mind, and for some reason that both made him rather pleased and also rather nervous. Sure, he could communicate to her with more subtlety, but so could anyone else. Anyone else, if they were properly trained, could look into her mind just as easily as he could. He suppressed a shudder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Forsythia didn’t speak. She gave a quick nod of her head, her lips rolled together in a tight line. The healer gave her a potion, helped her drink it, even, before removing the chains that held her down and taking a step back. She moved as if her body was incredibly heavy, slow and a bit awkwardly, as she sat up and swung her legs back over the side of the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’ll need a potion as soon as you take her back to her..well, wherever it is that The Dark Lord is having her kept. I am formally notating that she needs some time off, given the traumatic experiences she seems to hold onto. Without mental rest, she may be rendered ineffective.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco flinched. His imperius curse was certainly strong, considering the man was repeating himself, but he quickly dismissed his own nerves. This just meant she’d get even more time off, and that meant he wouldn’t have to put her through more. There was a relief that came along with that realization. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He asked her to come to him, not trusting himself to go nearer to the healer lest he lash out. She was too wobbly, though, too weighed down by what he guessed was a calming draught, so he went to her with his fists locked and his jaw locked and his eyes locked on hers. His fingers wrapped around her arm, and he apparated them under the hope that she would be able to endure it.</span>
</p>
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